The monsoon is set to intensify over Central India and adjoining North Peninsular India – mainly Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, parts of Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – from Wednesday.

Shortly after (from Saturday onwards), the distribution and intensity of the ongoing rainfall over Kerala, Coastal and South Interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu may wind down progressively,the India Met Department (IMD) said on Monday.

Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall may break out with isolated heavy falls over the northern parts of West Coast, North-West and Central India, outside the South-East Peninsula (mainly Tamil Nadu) where it would be isolated. The rain deficit, which has touched a fresh low of 19 per cent despite the monsoon surge in the South, could look up once the fresh spell gets going over Central India and adjoining North Peninsula.

Rains are now confined mainly to South Peninsular India and North-East India, the IMD said. Strong convergence of monsoon westerlies may continue over Kerala, Karnataka and adjoining ghat districts of Tamil Nadu for two more days.

This may trigger widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy falls. Presence of monsoon trough may set up similar conditions over hills of Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh during this period.

The last 24 hours ending on Monday morning saw rain/thundershowers over most places over the North-Eastern States, hills of Bengal, Sikkim, Saurashtra & Kutch, Konkan, Goa, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, and at many places over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra, and North Interior Karnataka;

Gains in South

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Coastal Karnataka have made the biggest gains so far during the ongoing spell over the South Peninsula, with the IMD predicting at least two more days of heavy rainfall.

The land-based monsoon trough across Central Inda may shift southwards from its current position and deepen gradually from Wednesday, initiating the anticipated spell over Central Inda and adjoining North Peninsular India.

In this scenario, rains may scale up over Central India, adjoining northern parts of Peninsular India and also along the northern plains until the weekend.

This phase would bring fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls over Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Goa.

Meanwhile, the monsoon finished its initial run all over the country on Friday when it entered West Rajasthan, the last outpost on the North-Western sector, before pushing itself across the border into East Pakistan.

Published on July 22, 2019