Fresh rain bands are approaching Sri Lanka and the southern parts of peninsular India (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) from across the East Indian Ocean (off Indonesia) as revealed by satellite pictures this morning.
The clouds and rain bands are spread out all over the Laccadive Sea (waters separating Lakshadweep Islands, Maldives and Sri Lanka) and all the way south-east across East Indian Ocean to Indonesia.
This is even as a maze of weather systems punctuate the South China Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, the Bay of Bengal and Laccadive Sea in the form of a tropical storm, a depression, a trough and a circulation.
Winds feeding into these systems are also carrying moisture mopped up from the surrounding waters and is being precipitated as rain or heavy rain, accompanied by high winds and lightning.
While the Gulf of Mannar (separating Sri Lanka from India) is more or less blanketed by cloud cover, the Laccadive Sea to the immediate west also features parcels of clouds above it.
The cloud cover extending from Trincomalee-Killinochchi-Jaffna-Point Pedro in Sri Lanka reached as far north as Nagapattinam - Chidambaram - Cuddalore along the Tamil Nadu coast as also Puducherry.
A depression in the Gulf of Thailand has served up clouds over Songkhla-Phattalung-Si Thammarat-Nakhon-Thong Sala-Chumphon stretch in southern Thailand.
Existing front off Bay
A narrow strip of land, the above-mentioned part of Thailand is just a whiff away from the Andaman Sea, which is now expected to receive the incoming depression over the next couple of days.
India Met Department (IMD) has already issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rain over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in view of the prospects of intensification of the 'low' in the surrounding waters.
As for today, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.
Thunderstorms accompanied with trademark lightning has been warned for isolated places over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and Rayalaseema.
While the heavy rain alert will remain for tomorrow (Friday) for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, the day that follows (Saturday) will see South Coastal Andhra Pradesh too receiving heavy rain.