Likely ‘low’ over Lakshadweep could sustain rainfall over South

The hyperactive cyclonic circulation over Lakshadweep is forecast to deepen into a low-pressure area by Thursday, an India Met Department update said.

During the 24 hours ending this morning, the circulation dumped very heavy rainfall of 16 cm each at Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam in Kerala.

In adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu, Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district received 15 cm of rain and Nagercoil, 12 cm. The rain was spread out well elsewhere in both the States during the period under reference.

Satellite pictures showed concentric bands of clouds converging over the Lakshadweep ahead of setting up a low-pressure area.

The Met Department has forecast thundershowers for coastal and south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema over the next couple of days.

But the US Climate Prediction has warned of another bout of very heavy rainfall over south Kerala and adjoining Tamil Nadu during the week ending April 27 (Monday next).

It may be recalled that the US agency had correctly predicted the peak in activity during the week ending on Tuesday.

The impending rainfall peak would likely build up from a massive bank of thunderclouds looking to move northwest from East Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal towards Sri Lanka.

The island nation will also get walloped, but the fuller compliment of moisture being mopped up from the Indian Ocean will likely get swept across to the tip of the south Indian peninsula. Elsewhere, it indicated the possibility of formation of tropical disturbance (likely cyclone) over northwest Pacific during last week of the month starting April 26.

An experimental storm tracker featured by the agency hinted at the possibility that the cyclone will cause a ‘pulse’ to drift out and head towards South China Sea.

It could ultimately land in the Andaman Sea/southeast Bay of Bengal during the first week of May, where it could regenerate into a low-pressure area.

This ‘low’ is shown as developing further and track in a north-northeast direction towards the Myanmar/Bangladesh coast.

This is a scenario that jells well with the evolving phase of the South-West monsoon; a Bay of Bengal ‘low’ is a given during this time of the year.

Meanwhile, seasonal thunderstorms lined up the rest of the landscape over north-west, central, east and north-east India.

A fresh western disturbance impacting the hills of Jammu and Kashmir from Monday could spark renewed weather over the hills and plains there.