There has been respite from flooding in the affected regions of Mumbai, South Gujarat, Saurashtra & Kutch as the watch for a monsoon depression has been extended by a day.

The rain-spewing well-marked low-pressure area has shifted base overnight from South-West Madhya Pradesh to Central Gujarat, where it was located this morning.

CONSTANT WATCH KEPT

India Met Department (IMD) expects it to intensify a depression over the same area, a process which could spark off another round of heavy to very heavy showers over Gujarat, and Mumbai-Konkan.

But some meteorologists are of the view that the very act extending the watch for system upgrade is a vote of non-confidence in its strength and intensity.

Nevertheless, there is a need to constantly monitor it, especially in view of its proximity to the sea waters (Arabian Sea), from which it sources the moisture feed to sustain itself.

One other factor that necessitates vigil over the area is the prospect of formation of a mid-tropospheric cyclonic circulation (MTC), a hyperactive weather system capable of generating humongous rainfall.

An MTC would cause extended rainfall for longer than what a conventional monsoon system can, over Gujarat and adjoining Central India, in association with an incoming 'low' from the Bay of Bengal.

Satellite maps in the morning showed some relent in the cloud build-up, though a massive bank was seen over Porbandar (South-West Gujarat) and adjoining North-East Arabian Sea.

CLOUD COVER

Clouding also extended into Junagadh, Upleta, Bhavnagar, Botad, Jamnagar, and Morbi while Mumbai and neigbourhood was devoid of any significant build-up just yet.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over Gujarat and heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Konkan & Goa for today.

Squally winds with speeds of 40- to 50 km/hr and gusting to 60 km/hr along are likely and off the Gujarat and Maharashtra coast, given the depression watch. Fishermen have been advised caution.

Heavy rain has been forecast also for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, South Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, the North-Eastern States, Madhya Maharashtra, and Coastal and South Interior Karnataka.

Forecasts suggested no major relief tomorrow either with heavy to very heavy rain being forecast for Gujarat; Konkan & Goa; Uttarakhand; Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi; Uttar Pradesh; hills of Bengal; Odisha; and the North-Eastern States.

Meanwhile, a US weather tracker has said that the 'weather factory' of Bay of Bengal would resume activity into the first week of September off the Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha coasts.

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