Even as heavy rains continued to lash the country’s North-West, East and North-East, the India Met Department (IMD) has sounded an alert about a fresh low-pressure area forming over North Bay of Bengal over the next three days.

A predecessor ‘low’ has moved a little from its perch over South Uttar Pradesh on Friday, triggering heavy torrents over the region. Its persistence also raises the possibility of fresh interaction with easterly winds from the one brewing in the Bay.

Preparatory circulation

The IMD said a preparatory cyclonic circulation has already popped up over the northern parts of Bengal. ‘Fairly widespread’ to ‘widespread’ rainfall, with ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ falls, are forecast for Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in the next three days.

The 24 hours ending Friday morning saw ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ and ‘extremely heavy’ rainfall being reported from the plains of Bengal, while West Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand experienced ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ showers.

Rainfall was ‘heavy’ over Himachal Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya, with more rain forecast for next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the ‘low’ in West Uttar Pradesh may remain quasi-stationary and cause ‘widespread’ rainfall, with isolated ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall being forecast over Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and North-West Madhya Pradesh for another two days.

Extended forecast

An extended forecast from the IMD said that ‘fairly widespread’ to ‘widespread’ rainfall with ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall is likely over North-West India (except West Rajasthan) during the first half of the week beginning July 26 (up to August 1).

‘Fairly widespread’ to ‘widespread’ rainfall with ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall is likely at isolated places over the North-East during most days of the week.

‘Scattered’ to ‘fairly widespread’ rainfall activity is forecast over the remaining parts of the country outside West Rajasthan, Rayalaseema, and Tamil Nadu, where light isolated to scattered rainfall activity is likely.

Deficits moderate

Overall rainfall activity is likely to be ‘normal’ to ‘above normal’ over Central India and the North-East during July 26-August 1, the extended forecast said.

During the second week (August 2-8), ‘above normal’ rainfall activity may be confined to northern parts of the country and extreme South Peninsular India.

Rainfall statistics for the season (June 1-July 27) show that the massive deficits in East India have moderated, although Arunachal Pradesh (-36 per cent) and Assam and Meghalaya (-35 per cent) continue to disappoint.

Mounting deficits in two Met subdivisions in the South — Rayalaseema at -35 per cent and Lakshadweep at -41 per cent — dent the record of otherwise ‘normal’ to ‘excess’ rain scenario in the region.

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