Guwahati, April 27 -- By Roopak Goswami

Guwahati: In sharp contrast to the scorching heat gripping northern India, the Northeast is bracing for a prolonged spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned. While parts of northwest and central India continue to reel under heatwave conditions, the IMD says Northeast India will see fairly widespread to widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching up to 50 kmph during the week.

The IMD has issued alerts for very heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya from April 27 to 30, and in Arunachal Pradesh from April 30 to May 2, while Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura are likely t...