A monsoon depression formed off the Odisha and adjoining North Andhra Pradesh coasts on Friday and lay parked about 70 km South-East of Puri; 130 km East of Gopalpur; 130 km South-South-East of Paradip (all Odisha) and 240 km East-North-East of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is likely to move across the Odisha coast near Puri without weakening during the early morning of Saturday. It would move across Odisha and Chhattisgarh and weaken gradually by Sunday.
Successor ‘low’ next week
IMD’s projections suggest the depression may weaken while moving towards Central India and may fizzle out midway merely because another low-pressure area will have been initiated over the Bay of Bengal next week. It will likely initiate another round of punishing rain for East Coast (Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal). Hyperactivity in this manner during the second half of July could likely throw up more circulations in the Bay, a short-to-medium outlook of the IMD said. In this context, two westward-moving disturbances in the South China Sea and West Pacific are may require to be closely watched.
Monsoon scales up
Intensification of a ‘low’ as a depression, chances of which was alluded to earlier in these columns, signalled in no uncertain manner the scaling up of monsoon activity across West, Central and East India and the South Peninsula. Familiar atmospheric features - monsoon trough from the Bay of Bengal up to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and the offshore trough from South Gujarat to North Kerala - persisted on Friday and are active. The resulting heavy rain has set off floods, landslides and other calamities along the ghat areas in Karnataka and Kerala, among others.
More rain forecast
Forecast for the next five days said fairly widespread to moderate rain, thunderstorms, and lightning are likely over West, Central, East and South Peninsular India. Isolated extremely heavy rain may break out over Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Telangana, South Interior Karnataka, Coastal Karnataka, and Vidarbha on Saturday. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely over Konkan & Goa; Madhya Maharashtra; Gujarat; and Coastal and South Interior Karnataka till Wednesday next; over Kerala & Mahe and Telangana until Sunday; Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Tamil Nadu on Sunday; over Odisha, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Marathwada on Saturday; and over Madhya Pradesh during Saturday to Monday. Isolated heavy rain may lash Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and North Interior Karnataka; Marathwada on Saturday; and plains of West Bengal and Jharkhand from Saturday to Monday.
Exceptional heavy rain
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said exceptionally heavy rainfall occurred over Saurashtra (Porbandar-49 cm) during the 24 hours ending on Friday morning. Heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls pounded Saurashtra & Kutch; Tamil Nadu; Chhattisgarh; Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Coastal Karnataka, while it was heavy to very heavy over parts of Kerala; Konkan & Goa; Telangana; Interior Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Tripura. Heavy rain was also reported from North-West India across Uttarakhand, West Rajasthan, Haryana, East Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh; East Gujarat in West India; and Marathwada in Peninsular India.