Why 'today weather' trended in India: Cyclone Arnab's heavy rain and Bihar floods

Why 'today weather' spiked in India on 26–27 September 2026

On 27 September 2026, Google Trends recorded roughly 5,000 searches in India for the phrase today weather, a 100% jump over the previous day. The surge coincided with Cyclone Arnab's impact on Bihar, which brought record rainfall, flooding and a wave of IMD alerts. Variants such as "weather today", "today's weather" and "weather patna" also rose together, showing the interest was driven by one event rather than a generic query.

Cyclone Arnab and Bihar's record rainfall

According to Dainik Bhaskar's Patna weather report, the IMD issued a yellow alert for 19 Bihar districts on 26 September, plus an orange alert for heavy rain over the next 24 hours. A Jagran bulletin added that East Champaran, West Champaran and Gopalganj faced extremely heavy rain warnings, with gusts of 40–50 km/h possible.

The rainfall numbers were exceptional for late September. Over three days, Bihar averaged 267% above normal rain; Buxar recorded 600% excess, while Patna received 34.9 mm in 24 hours – a 271% excess. Sitamarhi saw the highest single-day total at 144 mm.

Impact on people and infrastructure

Preliminary reports on 26 September put the toll at at least five deaths: two children from snakebite in Parsa Bazar, a 10-year-old boy in Khagaria killed by a collapsing wall, and two women who drowned in Araria after a stream's level rose suddenly following rain in Nepal. These figures were early reports and may have been revised since.

Waterlogging hit Patna's Kankarbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Boring Road and Dak Bungalow crossing, disrupting traffic. A Delhi–Patna Air India Express flight was diverted to Kolkata, and railway Group D exams scheduled in Khagaul on 26–27 September were cancelled, as Navbharat Times reported. The Kosi and Bagmati rivers flowed above the danger mark, and around 50 villages in Supaul faced flooding.

What the trend tells us – and what it doesn't

The Google Trends signal confirms search interest, not the severity of the event itself: 5,000 approximate searches is a modest count, and a 100% growth figure means the term doubled from a low base. Still, the clustering of "bihar" and "weather patna" alongside the main term shows people were looking for live rainfall updates, alerts and travel information during the storm.

Is the alert still active?

No. The alerts described above were valid for 26–27 September 2026 only. The IMD forecast at the time expected heavy rain to ease from 27 September, with only isolated showers afterwards. By mid-October 2026, conditions in Bihar had changed significantly; for today's weather and current warnings, check the IMD's official portal (mausam.imd.gov.in) or its latest district-wise bulletins rather than relying on late-September reports.