Heavy rain likely over central India
nNEWDELHI: A low-pressure area is likely to develop over east-central Bay of Bengal around June 8 that weather scientists are hoping will not intensify into a cyclone, but become a monsoon depression that will bring widespread and very heavy rains to the region.
Cyclone Amphan battered Odisha and West Bengal in the east on May 20, causing widespread damage, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) doesn’t expect a cyclone this time, said scientist Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD.
“It will most likely be a monsoon depression or a low which will bring a lot of rain to central and east India. In some years such troughs form but not every year,” she said. Parts of Odisha, Chhattigarh and Vidarbha may receive extremely heavy rains (more than 20 cm a day), she said.
Cyclones normally don’t develop during south-west monsoon.
“Odisha, Andhra will get very heavy rainfall first and then other parts of central India starting June 10 for the next three to four days. Monsoon depressions can cause a lot of rain so it is good for our monsoon,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD.
To be sure, cyclone Nisarga hit Alibaug in Maharashtra’s Raigad last week, bringing heavy rainfall to many parts of the state.
“Monsoon doesn’t allow these systems to intensify though we had Nisarga in beginning of the monsoon season in the Arabian Sea, which is slightly unusual. All low-pressure systems in the Indian Ocean tend to move in west-northwest direction. They may or may not cross the coast,” said K Sathi Devi, head, national weather forecasting centre.
The south-west monsoon has advanced into some more parts of south interior Karnataka and TN, Puducherry, Karaikal; most parts of south-west Bay of Bengal, the entire south-east Bay of Bengal; some more parts of eastcentral Bay of Bengal and some parts of west-central and northeast Bay of Bengal, according to IMD. Conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of monsoon during next 2-3 days.
The monsoon is likely to cover most parts of Maharashtra; Odisha and peninsular India by June 10 and all of central India by June 20, Mohapatra said.