Seasonal rain deficit for the country as a whole has improved by a single percentage point on Thursday after getting stuck at 22 per cent for quite some time.

Gains over central India and parts of northwest India during the past few days helped, an updated India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed.

MORE TO COME

Central India will join adjoining peninsular to share the spoils of the ongoing spell during the weekend and into the next. Forecasts for the first week of August indicate better rains peninsular India (except the southern parts) after a likely Pacific typhoon sets the ball rolling.

The Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services had indicated the possibility of a typhoon revving up the Southeast Asian monsoon (of which the Indian monsoon is a part) in this manner. The typhoon would step up the flows across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal before they go to feed the typhoon.

‘LOW’ LIKELY

Since the typhoon is forecast to move mostly within the monsoon system (and not away from it) it would help sustain the flows amongst the three ocean basins.

This would indirectly help the monsoon flows within India’s territorial waters to strengthen and even spring up a friendly low-pressure area in the Bay.

The west coast and east India are likely to be the major gainers; peninsular India may also receive some precipitation in the bargain. But there is no indication that northwest India will, except south and south-western parts of Gujarat.

WEATHER WARNING

Meanwhile, the IMD said that the monsoon was active over east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Telangana and Rayalaseema during 24 hours ending on Friday morning. It has warned of heavy rainfall at one or two places over Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh during the next two days.

> vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

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