Durga Puja celebrations in Tripura are set to continue under largely favourable weather conditions, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting mostly dry weather across the Northeastern region from Maha Saptami to Vijaya Dashami (October 17–21).
The forecast comes as a major relief for thousands of devotees and revellers in Tripura, where grand Durga Puja celebrations are in full swing. Since Maha Saptami, large crowds have been visiting elaborately decorated puja pandals across Agartala and other parts of the state, taking advantage of the pleasant weather to participate in religious rituals, cultural programmes and festive gatherings.
A senior IMD official in Agartala said on Saturday that dry weather is very likely to prevail across the eight Northeastern states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura—during the next few days.
According to the IMD, maximum temperatures are expected to remain 2–4 degrees Celsius above normal over the next five days, while minimum temperatures are likely to stay close to normal. However, the department has not ruled out the possibility of light rainfall at one or two isolated places in the region.
For Tripura, where Durga Puja is the state's biggest annual festival drawing lakhs of devotees to community and household pujas, the predominantly dry weather is expected to facilitate smooth movement of visitors, cultural events and religious processions throughout the festive period.
The IMD also confirmed that the Southwest Monsoon withdrew from the entire Northeastern region on October 15, almost in line with its normal withdrawal date. Last year, the monsoon retreated from the region on October 14.
Officials said temperatures are expected to gradually decline in the coming weeks, with winter conditions likely to become noticeable towards the latter part of November.
The Southwest Monsoon entered substantial parts of the Northeast on June 7, two days later than the normal onset date, and covered the entire region by June 10, marking the beginning of the four-month rainy season.
Despite the timely advance, the Northeast recorded an overall 26 per cent rainfall deficit during the June–September monsoon season, IMD officials at the Meteorological Centres in Guwahati and Agartala said.
With the monsoon now fully withdrawn, the region has entered its post-monsoon phase, paving the way for cooler and more comfortable weather conditions in the weeks ahead while providing ideal conditions for the remaining Durga Puja festivities.