Monsoon has covered the entire country four days ahead of schedule on Wednesday.
This came about after a prevailing weather system over northwest India led the rain charge in the region.
LULL PHASE
It also signalled the beginning of yet another lull phase over large parts of the country except the west coast, Himalayan foothills and parts of east India.
Global weather models do not see another significant rain wave until Thursday next (July 19) when rains may break out over north peninsular India.
These models are not sure if they can sustain for long, since factors facilitating their onset are not seen dropping anchor.
As is normal during this phase, east and northeast India and parts of southeast coast (Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu) may come under varying amounts of rain.
Rains in the foothills bristle with the threat of mudslides and avalanches along the vulnerable stretches of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
RAINS MIGRATING
An India Meteorological Department (IMD) outlook too agreed that the wet weather is about to migrate to the foothills once the ongoing session over northwest rains out.
A weather warning said that heavy rainfall would occur at one or two places over Rajasthan and Gujarat on Thursday.
Heavy rains may also break out over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar during the next two days.
Elsewhere, thundershowers have been forecast over the west coast, east and northeast India, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
A number of places over the western Himalayan region and Uttar Pradesh also may witness rains.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK
A similar outlook is valid for many places over Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during next two days and at a few places thereafter.
An extended outlook valid until Wednesday (July 18) said that rains would continue to lash the west coast and the Northeastern States.
The western Himalayan region, parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains and the rest of east India and at a few places over central India too may benefit from localised rains.