Monsoon enters vigorous phase, heavy rain in parts
NEW DELHI: Nearly all of India’s west coast and parts of central and north India were experiencing widespread and heavy rainfall as the monsoon entered a vigorous phase on Monday.
Extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) was reported in parts of Konkan, Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra. Isolated places in eastern Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Kerala, and Karnataka received heavy to very heavy (20 to 6.4 cm) rainfall on Monday and Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Saurashtra, Kutch, Assam, western Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam reported heavy rain (6.4 to 11.5 cm).
A low-pressure area was lying over central Madhya Pradesh and neighbourhood with an associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric levels. The monsoon trough was active and south of its normal position, IMD said. An off-shore trough at mean sea level was also running from Gujarat to Maharashtra coast and a cyclonic circulation was lying over northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood. Under their influence, widespread rainfall with thunderstorms or lightning was likely in Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Telangana, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha at least over the next five days.
IMD said active monsoon conditions are likely to continue for the next 10 days due to the likely development of another intense low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.
Immediately after the monsoon covered the entire country on July 2, six days in advance, a low-pressure area formed over Odisha on July 3, which has helped enhance monsoon activity. “There are active monsoon conditions over the entire country and this will persist for the next 10 days as per model forecasts. Whenever a low-pressure area forms over the Bay of Bengal or over Odisha and moves west north-westwards, there is widespread and heavy rain all along its path. Another strong system is likely to develop over the Bay of Bengal after the present one moves away. In fact, the forecast is that low-pressure systems and circulations are likely to form one after another this month,” said IMD director general M Mohapatra.