Low-pressure area forms over Bay of Bengal, to further intensify monsoon
continuous strong monsoon The spell received another boost on Thursday with the formation of a low pressure area over the northwest and adjacent to the central West Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha. A preparatory cyclonic cycle has been waiting over the area for the past few days, taking its own time to descend into the lower levels of the atmosphere and deepen.
Exceptional heavy rain
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an update that the ‘depression’ is expected to move in a typical west-northwest trajectory through Odisha over the next two days. Even before that, some exceptionally heavy rains were reported over Konkan (including Mumbai) and neighboring southern Gujarat. Isolated heavy rains are likely to continue over Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Gujarat over the next couple of days and isolated heavy to very heavy rains thereafter.
Towards the east of the country, heavy to very heavy rains are likely over Odisha in the next three days and over Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana and inner Karnataka over the next two days. These are some of the regions in eastern and central India that had significant rainfall deficit even in July, which is the monsoon’s wettest and second wettest month.
The monsoon basin remains
The ‘low’ is expected to flourish thanks to the proximity of the monsoon basin which lowers in the middle eastern gulf and extends south of its natural location (and therefore in an active state) and passes through Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh through Raipur, Sagar, Guna and Kota to Rajasthan. This is apart from the monsoon disturbance shear zone seen from higher levels of the atmosphere across central India connecting Nashik and Bhubaneswar.
More rain in Mumbai
In its short-term forecast, IMD said, light to moderate to moderate to widespread rain is likely with isolated heavy rainfall likely over central India within the next five days. Isolated heavy rains are likely over Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh on Thursday. In western India, light to moderate to somewhat widespread to widespread rainfall may continue with heavy to very heavy rains over Konkan, Goa and Ghat regions of Madhya, Maharashtra and Gujarat over the next five days. Heavy to very heavy rains may continue in Mumbai until Friday.
Karnataka, Telangana
For southern India, light to moderate to widespread rain is expected with isolated heavy rains falling over Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana over the next five days and over coastal Andhra Pradesh for three days from Saturday. Isolated heavy rains are also likely in Telangana and coastal Karnataka for three days from Saturday.