The Hindu Business Line : `Easterly wave' sets up base over Andaman Sea

AN `easterly wave' has anchored itself as part of a trough of low pressure over the Andaman Sea and is expected to keep moving along a fixed track to the west to impact Tamil Nadu and Kerala by Friday/Saturday.

In fact, there are the two States where an `easterly wave' will have any direct impact at all, said Dr Akhilesh Gupta of the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting. The wave has a wobbly motion about it that places it alternatively to the front or back relative to its centre even as the whole system registers a net forward movement to the west.

An important feature about the system is that creates some weather only in front, while the air will be absolutely clear in the rear. This goes to ensure that the worst impact of the weather thus created will also not last longer than 24 hours. But the intensity could be at times so high as to create cloudburst-like conditions.

Unlike in the case of a conventional tropical cyclone, easterly waves are not unduly influenced by the prevailing atmospheric dynamics that have a major say on the route in which they will move forward. While tropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere are thus made to move in a predominantly northwest direction, easterly waves enjoy more freedom in keeping themselves to a straight line as they move west.

Occasionally, they have even grown to set up even cyclones. In the instant case, the system is forecast to keep moving west even after impacting Tamil Nadu and Kerala to slide into the Arabian Sea.

An update from the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) said Monday's upper air cyclonic circulation (remnant of `Fanoos') over Lakshadweep and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea persisted. Under its influence, scattered rains are likely in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry during the next two-three days as well.

Isolated rains are expected over Rayalaseema, south coastal Andhra Pradesh and south interior Karnataka during next three-four days.

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