Hailstorm, thundershowers for western parts of Maharashtra

The low-pressure area over East-Central Arabian Sea and the 'trough' it has generated therein are setting up hailstorm, lightning and thundershowers over the western parts of Maharashtra.

The trough - a narrow, linear area of low pressure - originates from the 'low' and extends right up to South Gujarat.

It will facilitate a two-way channel for moisture-laden winds to enter the West Coast, blow into the interior and exit through the North (anti-clockwise direction).

Thundershowers for Maharashtra

The net result is that the West Coast from Kerala extending to South Gujarat and the adjoining interior can expect to receive lightning and thundershowers over the next three days.

In the interior, i.e. Madhya Maharashtra and Marathawada where daytime temperatures are high, these winds would trigger violent thunderstorms, lightning and hailstorm.

Meanwhile, the 'low' in the Arabian Sea is also exerting its influence over the Bay of Bengal, massing up clouds over South-West Bay of Bengal off Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts.

Clouds closing in

Satellite pictures in the afternoon showed shows thunderclouds covering a good part of Sri Lanka and light showers or rain being reported from Batticaloa, Dambulla, Kandy, and Vavuniya.

The rest of the clouds from a trough in the Bay of Bengal are closing in on Rameswaram, Thanjavur, Chidambaram, and Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, all of which are currently witnessing cloudy conditions.

India Met Department has forecast heavy rain for parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two to three days even as fresh clouds are forming upstream in the Sumatra/Andaman and Nicobar Islands area.