Wednesday’s cyclone ‘Nilam’ has weakened into a depression and was traced to over south interior Karnataka on Thursday afternoon.
The system remained practically stationary and lay centred close to Chitradurga, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said.
RAIN BANDS
It is expected to move north westward and weaken as a low-pressure area by Friday morning, the update said.
Satellite imagery showed rain-bearing clouds rising over south interior Karnataka, south Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu, south Bay of Bengal and Comorin area.
Rain bands from the depression extended east across the peninsula into coastal Andhra Pradesh as it came under the influence of dominant westerly flows.
It will rain heavy over Telangana, Rayalaseema and south interior Karnataka on Friday, an IMD weather warning said.
Heavy rainfall has been forecast over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal and north interior Karnataka during next two days.
WIDESPREAD FALL
Extended outlook valid for the next seven days said that scattered to fairly widespread rainfall would occur over east and adjoining Central India.
Meanwhile, last 24 hours during when the landfall of ‘Nilam’ took place, saw widespread rainfall being reported from the southern peninsula.
Most places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal and south interior Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema received rainfall.
It was scattered to being isolated over north interior Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Goa and Lakshadweep.
This period also saw much heavier rain being precipitated than when the crossing occurred or its immediate aftermath.
MERCURY DIPS
Chief amounts of rainfall (in cm) recorded until Thursday morning are: Yercaud-24; Ongole-15; Kavali-13; Bangalore, Kanyakumari, Cuddalore, Nellore and Arogyavaram-8 each; Chitradurga, Kakinada, Puducherry and Kochi-7 each; Nagapattinam and Tiruchi-6 each; Machilipatnam, Bapatla, Vellore, Vedaranniyam and Tirupathi-5 each.
Meanwhile, minimum (night) temperatures fell normal by 2-5 deg Celsius over many parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, parts of Maharashtra, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, interior Odisha, Saurashtra and Kutch.
The lowest minimum of 10.5 deg Celsius was recorded at Malegaon in Maharashtra.
Warmth associated with moisture supplied by ‘Nilam’ kept temperatures above normal over parts of Telangana, north interior Karnataka and Lakshadweep.