Seasonal rainfall over Rajasthan has turned normal while Gujarat, especially parched Saurashtra and Kutch, is bracing for a heavy spell of showers.

This indicated the turnaround that the 2012 monsoon has accomplished even as it entered the fourth and last month of the season.

FRESH ‘LOW’

The overall deficit as on Sunday remained at 12 per cent. But a fresh low-pressure area forming over northwest Bay of Bengal promised to cut down some of this.

East, north-east and north-west India had a deficit of 15 per cent each as on Monday. It was 10 per cent for central India and 11 per cent for the south peninsula.

The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction saw separate rain heads moving parallel north along central India and just off the West coast over the next few days.

In this manner, heavy rains are predicted to lash the West once again culminating in the pounding of Saurashtra and Gujarat.

To the east, the other rain head may move into Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh while raining it heavily all the way before entering Rajasthan.

VIGOROUS MONSOON

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an update on Monday that the monsoon was vigorous over Saurashtra and Kutch during the 24 hours ending in the morning.

It was only slightly less active over coastal Karnataka during this period. The fresh low-pressure area was located to over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coast.

A weather warning valid for the next two days said that heavy rains would lash Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, north Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat state, north interior Karnataka, Konkan, Goa and coastal Karnataka.

An extended forecast valid for the next seven days said that thundershowers would break out at many places over west, north-west and east India and along the west coast.

>vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in