Full Breakdown
Satellite Image Reveals Sharp Monsoon Divide Across India
By Drooid · · How we work
Divergent Weather Patterns Across India
A thermal-infrared image from the INSAT-3DS weather satellite, captured on September 24, shows dense cloud cover and heavy rain over central, eastern and southern India, while the northwest—including parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat—remains relatively clear. The bright, cold cloud tops in the infrared band indicate deep convection associated with intense showers and thunderstorms in the rain-laden regions.
Meteorological Drivers Behind the Contrast
The cloud pattern coincides with a deep depression that formed over north-coastal Andhra Pradesh and south-Odisha and moved inland, bringing widespread rainfall to Odisha, Chhattisgarh and neighboring states. The India Meteorological Department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy events, in eastern and central India. As the depression tracks northwestward and weakens, it continues to draw moisture from the Bay of Bengal, sustaining cloud formation far from its original coastal position.
In the northwest, the southwest monsoon is withdrawing for the season, a transition that typically yields drier, clearer skies in that region during late September. The differing atmospheric conditions illustrate how the monsoon’s retreat does not produce uniform weather across the subcontinent.
Extent of the Cloud Band
Satellite imagery also captures a continuous belt of high-altitude clouds stretching roughly 4,000 km from northern and central India toward the Himalayan foothills and onward into China and Southeast Asia. The band includes bright convective cells over India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and adjacent areas, signalling zones of intense rainfall potential. While the visual estimate of the band’s length is approximate, the image underscores the scale at which monsoon-related moisture can organize across national boundaries.
Potential Impacts and Outlook
The juxtaposition of a moist, active system in the east and a drying northwest suggests that heavy rainfall will persist over eastern and central India even as the monsoon withdraws elsewhere. Residents in the affected eastern states should remain alert to possible flooding and thunderstorms, whereas the northwest can anticipate drier conditions typical of the post-monsoon transition. Continued monitoring of the depression’s movement and the evolving cloud band will be essential for forecasting regional weather in the coming weeks.