Rains in South saves the blushes, deficit stays at 12%

The North-eastern States, the East Coast and the adjoining peninsula have been known to receive showers when the monsoon has weakened over the rest of the country.

This is exactly what is playing out during the fag end of the season when coastal Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu receiving isolated heavy to very heavy showers during the 24 hours ending Thursday morning.

The Regional Met Centre, Chennai, said that Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu recorded 11 cm of rain during the period.

It was followed by Viralimalai (Pudukkottai) and Maduranthagam (Kancheepuram) with 8 cm each; Gingee (Villupuram) 7 cm and Tirukoilur (Villupuram) 6 cm.

Rainfall also occurred at most places over Lakshadweep. Isolated rainfall occurred over Telangana, Rayalaseema, South Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The rain-driving north-to-south trough has shifted alignment on Thursday to north interior Karnataka to Gulf of Mannar cutting across south interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

This will bring more areas westward into the peninsula to cover the rest of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala over the next couple of days.

Over the next few days, the trough will keep moving further to the west to emerge out of the peninsula into southeast Arabian Sea (southeast of Kerala) where it could set up a weak cyclonic circulation. This will cause the rain to spread out from coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to north interior Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka and Kerala until Monday next.

Meanwhile, the ongoing spell in the South along with the one over East and North-East has prevented the all-India rain deficit from deteriorating from 12 per cent the previous day.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on Thursday seemed to discount the possibility a low-pressure area developing in the Bay of Bengal any time soon. Instead, it said typhoon Kilo in the North-west Pacific will have the upper hand over the weakened South Asian/Indian monsoon. Kilo will keep the monsoon under a spell until it hits Japanese coast early next week.

But the Climate Prediction Centre of the US now ways South India may dry up during the week beginning September 12.

Some rain will migrate from the peninsula briefly into west Madhya Pradesh and adjoining south-east Rajasthan from where the monsoon has all but exited currently.