The rain deficit during the monsoon so far has worsened to 17 per cent, with the Met subdivisions of Kerala, Saurashtra & Kutch, West Rajasthan, and Gangetic West Bengal still awash in red.
The currently strengthening monsoon over the South Peninsula and later over East India may help salvage the situation, but Saurashtra and Gujarat as well Rajasthan may have to wait longer.
Monsoon strengthens
The India Met Department (IMD) said that the monsoon flow has strengthened over South and adjoining Central Arabian Sea. They added that it is likely to stay as such for close to a week beginning Friday.
Emerging weather conditions over the South Peninsula resemble those of the monsoon onset conditions, with an East-West shear zone of monsoon turbulence that is expected to form during the next two days.
The shear zone that envelops the upper atmosphere is where the most active monsoon conditions prevail, with opposing winds running into each other.
It also sets up the platform for rain-bearing systems (low-pressure areas depressions et al) to play around in. The shear zone strengthens in tandem with the strength of the monsoon.
The feeble offshore trough, that receives the monsoon moisture mopped up by winds from the Arabian Sea, has for now shrunk as it lies extended from South Maharashtra coast to Karnataka coast.
A helpful cyclonic circulation lies partly over North-West and adjoining West-Central Bay of Bengal and partly over Coastal Odisha, which would play a crucial role in strengthening the monsoon in East and Central India.
The IMD said that these meteorological conditions should drive up the rainfall activity over Peninsular India and adjoining Maharashtra into the next week.
Colour-coded warnings
The IMD has also issued colour-coded rainfall warnings to most of the states and Met subdivisions over the South Peninsula and adjoining Central Peninsula during this period.
It said that rainfall is very likely at most places over Kerala with heavy to very heavy at a few places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places until Sunday, as well as over Coastal Karnataka from Saturday to Monday.
Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls have also been forecast over South Interior Karnataka and Lakshadweep during the next four days.
The colour-coded warnings issues for main Met subdivisions in South Peninsula are as follows:
Kerala: Red (rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places) on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.
Lakshadweep: Orange (rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on Friday and Saturday. Yellow (rainfall at most places with Heavy rainfall at isolated places places) on Sunday and Monday.
Coastal Karnataka: Orange on Friday. Red on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. North Interior Karnataka: Yellow from Friday to Monday. Tamil Nadu: Orange on Friday. Yellow from Saturday to Monday.
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