Monsoon flows have yet again started converging over the North Bay of Bengal ahead of setting up an anticipated low-pressure area that could intensify into a depression.

India Met Department (IMD) has forecast squally winds with speed reaching 45 km/hr and gusting to 55 km/hr today over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and warned fishermen to stay off the nearby seas.

East coast build-up

The East Coast in the vicinity, from Visakhapatnam to Kolkata across Brahmapur, Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar, is witnessing the build-up in the form of light to moderate showers. Satellite pictures show rains over Vidarbha, Telangana, Central Maharashtra and adjoining Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttaranchal.

According to sources, flood-hit Gujarat and Saurashtra and Kutch also are experiencing intermittent showers with alert having sounded out over Thansa in Bhavnagar. Light to moderate showers are being reported also from the West Coast, the heaviest from Coastal Karnataka and North Kerala, as revealed by satellite pictures.

Meanwhile in Kerala, railways has announced that normal train services, which were hit over the past couple of days due to flooding of tracks, would resume from today. The 20-km/hr speed limit imposed on three rail bridges in the Ettumanur-Kottayam section in Central Kerala has been relaxed with effect from last evening.

Kerala rail traffic

The sources added that the engineering department is continuously monitoring the water level under seven bridges in the Kayamkulam-Kottayam-Ernakulam stretch. But partial cancellation of services due to unfavourable conditions in the Punalur-Bhagavathipuram ghat section in the South-East would continue to be effective until further notice.

Though the heavy rains have relented over Kerala, the inflows in rivers from the highlands in the East to the plains have not been reduced. Due to this, the situation in the flooded plains, farm lands and plantations has not improved to any significant level, reports reaching here suggested.

The heavy rain and flooding is attributed to the prevailing 'low' located this morning to over North-East Madhya Pradesh. It is still setting up rain clouds all over North-West India and Gujarat. It is in this context that the track and strength of a successor 'low' brewing in the Bay is being watched.

A three-day outlook from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has warned of heavy rain breaking out over North Andhra Pradesh, adjoining Telangana and South Odisha.

Heavy rain forecast

Heavy rain is also indicated for Ahmedabad, Kota, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Tharad in Rajasthan and Gujarat as also along the West Coast, including Maharashtra, Coastal Karnataka and North Kerala coasts.

According to the European agency, East India and the North-East, the two rain-deficient regions over the mainland, would have to wait it out for its share of rains.

As for today, IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain over East Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh, East Madhya Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala. It would be heavy over Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, West Rajasthan, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa and Coastal Karnataka.

IMD forecast for tomorrow says that heavy to very heavy rain is likely over Kerala, while it would be heavy over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa.

The squally wind alert will be valid not only for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands but also along and off the Bengal coast. Fishermen are advised not to venture into sea around these areas.

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