The Hindu Business Line : Monsoon roars back to life with Bay storm

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 5 Monsoon has roared back to life with a signature ‘low’ in the northwest Bay of Bengal ramping up fast into depression over the last 36 hours and threatening to intensify before crossing the Orissa coast.

Satellite pictures on Sunday revealed rain-bearing clouds having spread menacingly over the landmass except extreme southeast peninsula. Pelting rains have already buffeted Orissa and north Andhra Pradesh coast.

FRESH ‘LOW’ NOTIFIED

Latest forecasts by international weather models warns that the active wet spell south of the monsoon trough could hold until August 20, with a fresh ‘low’ forecast to pop up over west-central Bay of Bengal by Saturday (Aug 11). This would happen as the prevailing monsoon depression ambles across west-northwest and weakens over south Rajasthan.

A renewed rain spell could march in copybook style along a west-northwest axis from this weekend, bringing central and adjoining peninsular India, yet again, under its influence. This is despite the `nuisance’ effect from a westward-moving weather system off the south Gujarat coast.

PUNISHING SPELL

On Sunday, however, outlook for central and adjoining peninsular India and the entire west coast said that a round of punishing wet spell is in the offing with the rain-driving monsoon trough slipping back from the Himalayan foothills. This may bring some respite to east and northeast India, which witnessed the `worst flooding in living memory’ as per a Unicef assessment.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its special monsoon report that enhanced rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls are likely over Orissa, north Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh till Tuesday. The rain belt will shift later to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and south Rajasthan during the subsequent four days.

Gujarat, Konkan, Goa (including Mumbai) and madhya Maharashtra are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall (exceeding 25cm) particularly on Friday and Saturday.

Rain or thundershowers are likely at most places over coastal Karnataka, north Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra and Kutch. Rain or thundershowers are likely at many places over Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha during next 48 hours and may increase, thereafter.

STATIONARY SYSTEM

The IMD update said that the ‘low’ in the northwest Bay concentrated into a depression early Sunday morning and remained practically stationary at about 230 km southeast of Balasore. This phase of a sea-based system is particularly known for its penchant to propel overpowering rainfall into nearby coast.

The system is likely to intensify further, even to near-cyclonic strength, and cross north Orissa-West Bengal coast between Paradip and Digha later in the night, according to projections.

Squally winds are likely along and off Orissa and West Bengal coasts, and sea conditions rough to very rough, prompting a warning to fishermen not to venture into the sea.

On the west coast, however, an active offshore trough will continue to bring widespread rainfall activity with scattered heavy to very heavy falls over coastal Karnataka, Konkan, Goa, and Gujarat during the next three days as well.

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