Surplus summer rains over peninsular India

Peninsular India and adjoining east India, constituting two-thirds of the landmass in south, central and east-central regions, has witnessed surplus summer rains for almost two months between March 1 and April 27.

Rainfall deficiencies have been confined to extreme west and northwest, according to an update provided by India Meteorological department (IMD).

Gujarat and Saurashtra region, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh totted up varying deficiencies. Jammu and Kashmir was the only Met subdivision to record a normal (+5 per cent) rainfall in the northwest while only Gujarat was totally devoid of any rainfall.

Among the Met subdivisions which surprised on the upside with surplus rainfall thus far during the season are Telengana (+43 per cent); Rayalaseema (+28 per cent); Vidarbha (+75 per cent); Chhattisgarh (+117 per cent); Bihar (+36 per cent); Gangetic West Bengal (+101 per cent); north interior Karnataka (+67 per cent); and south interior Karnataka (+103 per cent).

The larger Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand states also found themselves falling in the ‘normal’ category.

One significant fall-out of the rainfall pattern has been the less than normal cooling of these regions and total absence of heat waves that normally take a toll on human and animal lives.

Some weather watchers have also tended to view this with caution in terms of the likely impact on the impending of the monsoon that drives essentially on land-sea surface temperature contrasts.

Global weather models are, however, of the view that sustained heating of the land surface has already started from northwest India and would filter into central, east-central and parts of peninsular India from the coming week onwards.

Meanwhile, an IMD update this (Friday) morning said that fairly widespread overnight rain or thundershowers has been reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It was scattered over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Tripura and isolated over Jammu and Kashmir, east Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, south interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

During the day on Thursday, maximum temperatures were above normal by 2 to 4 deg Celsius over some parts of Punjab, east Rajasthan, northwest Madhya Pradesh. But they continued to be below normal by 2 to 4 deg Celsius over Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tripura and Orissa.

The highest maximum temperature of 44.0 deg Celsius was recorded at Churu (Rajasthan), Jalgaon (Maharashtra) and Khargone (Madhya Pradesh) on Thursday.

Satellite pictures early on Friday morning showed the presence of convective (rain-bearing) clouds over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, south and east-central Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

The western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir now lies over Jammu and Kashmir. It would affect western Himalayan region and adjoining plains of northwest India until Monday.

Scattered rain or thundershowers would occur over Jammu and Kashmir and isolated over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Isolated dust storms or thunderstorms would occur over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on today and tomorrow.

No significant change in temperatures is expected over plains of northwest India and adjoining central and west India.

Fairly widespread rain or thundershowers has been forecast over Andaman and Nicobar Islands and scattered over Lakshadweep, coastal and south interior Karnataka and Kerala and isolated over Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Scattered rain or thundershowers would occur over the Northeastern States, West Bengal and Sikkim and isolated over Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

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