Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have, over the past couple of days, hogged the limelight for receiving some heavy rainfall for this time of the year.
The immediate cause was the overnight intensification of an existing low-pressure area perched over Punjab, thanks to moisture from all round.
ADDS VERVE
The presence of a western disturbance may have added to the verve of the ‘low’ spraying rain in a manner not witnessed anytime during this monsoon.
The downpour has been as unusual — though not expected given the build-up — and as rare during a phase that normally sees the monsoon withdraw from this region.
Punjab and adjoining Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi have been the two Met subdivisions to remain in the ‘scanty rainfall’ category (deficit of 59- to 99 per cent) up till now.
The scene of compelling rain rage will now shift back to where it has kicked off every time during the past week or two — the East of India and into the Bay of Bengal.
‘LOW’ FORMS
An expected a ‘low’ has formed over the North Bay of Bengal, off the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts, markedly north-northeast to the suspected area of genesis.
The ‘low’ had to form in any case, but it had to look for a base farther northeast due to the intensification and aggressive whims of its counterpart over northwest India.
Neither can it hope to enter the coast until it gets a grudging nod from the latter, so it can take control of proceedings over land.
That nudge would come over the next couple of days, but after the challenger cedes its current position and retreats south towards the Andhra Pradesh coast.
WET COVER, AGAIN
In the meantime, the incumbent over northwest India would have left the borders into Pakistan, clearing the way for the challenger to force its way into central India.
This it would do in style, intensifying a round and roaring its way in with a massive and expanded cover of heavy to very heavy rainfall over east-central India.
The India Met Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain, with isolated extreme falls over Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Andaman and Nicobar for today.
Heavy rainfall is forecast for Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Konkan-Goa, coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka and Kerala as also in Jammu and Kashmir.
As for tomorrow (Sunday), heavy to very rain with isolated extreme falls are likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Konkan-Goa.