Friday, August 28, 2009

Monsoon graphics


latest stories on the monsoon ... REUTERS

>Poor India monsoon poses inflation risk - c.bank
[ID:nHKG39508]
>India monsoon 5 pct below normal in Aug 26 week
[ID:nDEL531908]
>India raises farm subsidy to boost winter crops
[ID:nDEL318815]
>India finmin-economy showing some positive signals
[ID:nBMA005680]
>Indian monsoon f'cast to dip again, soybean healthy
[ID:nDEL450338]
>Water in India reservoirs well below normal
[ID:nDEB000875]
>India plans to expand winter crop by 7 mln hectares
[ID:nDEB000912]
>India sees early, higher winter crop sowing-govt
[ID:nDEB000911]
SUGAR
> India's sugar stocks seen at 2.7 mln T on Oct 1
[ID:nDEL302114]
> India sugar stocks dip, enough for 2 months-report
[ID:nDEL394013]
> India imposes limits on sugar stocks for big buyers
[ID:nDEL348482]
> India plans loans, pesticide aid for cane growers
[ID:nDEL535969]
> India mills contract 4 mln T raw sufar-trade
[ID:nDEL507897]
> India gov't, sugar mills seek higher cane sowing
[ID:nDEB000891]
ANALYSIS
>Poor India monsoon may prolong loose money policy
[ID:nSP380050]
>Forget the monsoon, India gold imports set to bounce
[ID:nBOM480118]
>India's food-price surge to prompt more govt action
[ID:nSP376499]
>Poor monsoon stalks India despite economic strides
[ID:nHKG287075]
FACTBOX/SCENARIOS/TIMELINE
>What can India do to manage a bad monsoon?
[ID:nSP92183]
>How monsoon rains impact South Asia crops
[ID:nDEL479514]
>Impact of monsoon on Indian crops
[ID:nDEL401846]
>Possible impact of monsoons on India's crops
[ID:nDEL397486]
>India measures to tide over sugar shortage
[ID:nDEL432592]
TABLES
> India oilseed area drops; cotton, corn up
[ID:nDEL413236]
> India's cumulative weekly monsoon rainfall data
[ID:nDEL544419]
GRAPHICS
> here
> here
> here
TAKE A LOOK
>El Nino churns up threat to commodities
[ID:nSP381099]
>Sugar prices hovering at 28-year high [ID:nN10481485]
>
COLUMN
>Dry spell should bring change to India:Christopher Swann
[ID:nN20517317]

M.P., Rajasthan, Gujarat likely to get more rains

The persisting low-pressure area over Orissa has set off active to vigorous monsoon conditions over Karnataka, Orissa and Telangana overnight on Wednesday.

Model forecasts continue to indicate the westward movement of the `low' over central and adjoining north peninsular India over the next few days and heavy to very heavy rainfall.

CONSENSUS PREDICTIONS

Some international models showed west-northwest movement for the system, which could take it to east Rajasthan. But the wave of heavy rains would also sweep the south Gujarat-Mumbai-Konkan belt progressively.

Consensus predictions from the UK Met Office (UKMO), Global Forecasting System (GFS) and Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC) models showed both westward and west-north westward tracks.

The forecast period (August 23-29) will see the circulation taking advantage of the patch of high sea-surface temperatures available off the Orissa coast to deepen as a `low' and heading west over land.

It may take a west-northwest course from over Vidarbha towards north Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan. An ensemble model prediction from CMC and GFS showed two distinct branches of the system taking off westward and west-north westward.

An India Met Department (IMD) update on Wednesday said that fairly widespread rains with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is likely over Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and north Andhra Pradesh during the two days.

The rains are likely to scaleup over Madhya Pradesh from Wednesday onwards and over Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat from Thursday marked by isolated heavy to very heavy falls.

Isolated extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 25 cm has been forecast over north Konkan and south Gujarat around Friday, an IMD warning said.

MJO EFFECT

The Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services says that the week ending Aug 31 holds an increased chance for above average rains over central India and the Bay of Bengal.

This would brought to bear by a northward propagating belt of active weather worked up by the periodical and westerly Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) wave of enhanced convection as it passes the equatorial Indian Ocean.

The CPC expects the belt of rains to move further north and interact with a western disturbance passing through the north of the country. This may bring rains to parts of even west Uttar Pradesh and east Rajasthan.




A western disturbance was located over Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, an update from the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.

The bulk of the MJO-fired activity will then get concentrated to the north of India even as south India and east Bay of Bengal slip under below normal-rain regime as a suppressed MJO convection phase entrenches itself.

But forecasts by the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction say that the peninsula will continue to get showers, mostly under an easterly wave activity.

HEAVY RAINS

Satellite pictures on Wednesday showed convective clouds over north and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal and parts of southeast Arabian Sea, central and south peninsular India.

South Madhya Pradesh, madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Vidarbha, Konkan, Goa and coastal Karnataka are expected to witness fairly widespread rains with heavy to very heavy falls during the next two days.

The rains may lift from over central and east India from the weekend. But widespread rainfall with heavy to very heavy or extremely heavy falls likely over north Konkan and south Gujarat.

An update from the Chennai Met Centre said that overnight rainfall was reported from most places over Lakshadweep, Telangana and coastal Karnataka; at many places over Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh and interior Karnataka and at a few places over Rayalaseema.

Forecast for the next two days said that rain or thundershowers are likely at most places over coastal Karnataka, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh; at many places over Kerala, Lakshadweep and interior Karnataka and at a few places over Rayalaseema.

Isolated rain or thundershowers are likely over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

A warning valid for the next two days said that isolated heavy rain is likely over Kerala, coastal Karnataka, the Ghat areas of south interior Karnataka, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Rain Deficit Narrows, Aiding India’s Withering Crops

India’s monsoon rainfall, the main source of irrigation for the nation’s 235 million farmers, was above average in most parts of the country, helping crops of rice, sugar cane and soybeans reeling from moisture stress.

Excess rain over central, southern and northeastern regions the past week narrowed the deficit in the week ended Aug. 26 to 5 percent, said S. Kaur, director at the India Meteorological Department. Showers since June 1 were 25 percent below the long- period average, compared with 26 percent a week ago, she said.

“Rainfall was excess in most parts of the country, barring the northwestern region,” said Kaur.

The monsoon season, which brings about three-quarters of the nation’s annual rainfall, may be the driest in seven years, with 252 of the 626 districts declaring drought. India’s summer crop harvest will decline by a fifth, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today. The country may import food items such as edible oils and lentils to meet any deficit, he said last week.

Falls in the drought-struck northwest states, the nation’s food bowl, were 74 percent less than average in the week ended Aug. 26. The seasonal shortfall widened to 40 percent from 37 percent a week earlier, Kaur said. The region includes Uttar Pradesh, India’s top sugar cane grower, Punjab and Haryana, the top rice and wheat growers.

Inadequate rainfall in July 2008 cut cane yields, lowered production by half and turned India into a net importer for the first time in three years. Production may drop to 14.8 million tons in the year to Sept. 30, from 26.4 million tons.

Sugar reached a 28-year high of 23.33 cents a pound in New York on Aug. 12.

Rice Harvest

India’s monsoon-sown rice output will drop 10 million tons from last year’s record, the government has said. Rice was sown to 27.3 million hectares, compared with 34.14 million hectares a year earlier, the farm ministry said Aug. 25.

Rainfall totaled 514.3 millimeters in the June 1-Aug. 26 period, less than the long-period average of 682 millimeters, the weather bureau’s Kaur said. Showers were 52 millimeters in the week ended Aug. 26, less than the average 54.6 millimeters between 1941 and 1990.

The deficit in the northeast states narrowed to 25 percent from 27 percent on Aug. 19. The shortfall in the central states, including Madhya Pradesh, the biggest soybean producer, narrowed to 20 percent from 22 percent, and a revival in the monsoon over peninsular India narrowed the deficit to 14 percent from 20 percent a week earlier, Kaur said.
Monsoon is active over Central India for the past 4 days .. http://ping.fm/LGpwH
chennai - Clear morning, going to be hot till 1 pm.. After that we'll see heavy low cloud formation.