Comments
Two strong low-pressure areas prevail over the South Indian Ocean, sending out strong waves on the sly far northward along the West and East coasts of India and flooding fishing hamlets at many places.
The US Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) has put the two systems (93S and 96S) under watch for signs of cyclone formation this week, even as another is forecast next week around where 93S is located.
Bay 'low' prospects
The high seas apart, another upshot from the melee in the South Indian Ocean is a 'gift' to the North in the form of an anticipated 'low' around South-West Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka.
This would be the first pre-monsoon 'low' to form over the seas nearest to India, and is a crucial weather feature in as much as it is harbinger of the incoming monsoon a month down the line.
Global models, though, have different interpretations with respect to the strength/intensity of the brewing 'low' and the likely track it could take as it traverses the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal.
An ensemble model of the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction has for now predicted that it could grow in intensity into a powerful cyclone and head towards Myanmar later this week.
Model disagreement
But this view is not shared by most other models, which suggest that the 'low' would linger around Sri Lanka and off the tip of South Indian Peninsula for some time before entering the Arabian Sea.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts had earlier indicated the possibility of the 'low' being guided into Lakshadweep, a short distance off the Kerala coast, before fading out.
These are early days yet, and the prospective movement of western disturbances over North India would have some impact on the direction of movement of the 'low' and its intensification.
India Met Department (IMD) has said that disturbance is already active over North India. A successor wave is expected to wield its impact from April 25 (Wednesday) onwards.
A third in the current series is expected three days hence (by Friday), all of which would have a say on the evolution and growth prospects of the 'low.'
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.