The heavy monsoon over Central and West India and adjoining North-West India is set to continue with a fresh rain-generating system forecast to form in the Bay of Bengal.
The surplus run of monsoon in June will now have extended into July, usually rainiest of the four monsoon months (34 per cent of the total).
RAINIEST JUNE
June contributes only 14 per cent of the total but this year saw the heaviest downpours since 2001, with rainfall registering 32 per cent above average. July had failed farmers often during the past few years, putting the crops under heavy stress. But entering the last lap, it has mostly been above normal until now, having dipped below only a couple of times.
The monsoon is forecast to take off later into August, which is the second rainiest of the season, accounting for 31 per cent.
STRONG MONSOON
Thus, the 2013 monsoon is promising to be the strongest on show in recent times. Sustaining is run was a low-pressure area originating in the Bay of Bengal.
It had crossed the coast and was sitting pretty over Odisha and adjoining Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.
This system pulled in monsoon flows from both the Arabian Sea and West Bengal, bringing heavy precipitation across Central and West India.
Latest news on this front is a follow-up system brewing the Bay will scale up the monsoon yet again.
US National Centres for Environmental Prediction said that it saw a track of heavy monsoon torrents moving west from East-central India to West India.
RAIN ALERT
Heavy rains are likely over Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai-Konkan and Gujarat, apart from the West Coast.
An India Met Department update said that the 24 hours ending on Wednesday morning saw rain or thundershowers at most places along the West Coast.
Rain lashed Madhya Pradesh, East Gujarat, interior Maharashtra and Lakshadweep.
Chief amounts of rainfall (in cm) recorded were Mumbai (Santa Cruz), Mumbai (Colaba), and Bhira: 22 cm each; Mahabaleshwar: 13; Alibagh:14; Ratnagiri: 11; and Dahanu: 19.
On Thursday, it forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall one or two places over East Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kutch, Konkan and Goa.
EXTENDED FORECAST
Heavy rainfall would occur at one or two places over coastal Karnataka and Kerala.
On Friday, heavy rains have been forecast at one or two places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, East Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Coastal Karnataka and Kerala.
An extended outlook for four days until July 31 said that rains may lash many places over Gangetic plains, Gujarat, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand and the north eastern States.
Rainfall would occur at many places along the West Coast and also at a few places over Central India.