Thursday, April 08, 2010

Top heat returns to scorch central, north-west India

True to forecasts, heat wave conditions have spread to more parts of the vulnerable east-to-central-India belt during the 24 hours ending on Wednesday morning.

RIDGE AT LARGE


Isolated pockets of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Telangana have already been brought under intense heat of above 40 degree Celsius, an update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Having extended its writ to over north Gujarat, the fresh wave of April heat is knocking at the doors of adjoining northwest India even as the causative ridge of higher atmospheric pressure hung large over the region.

An IMD outlook for the next 24 hours said that heat wave conditions may probe into south Rajasthan even as parts of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Telangana feel the heat.

Maximum temperatures were above normal by 4 to 5 degree Celsius over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana, north Gujarat and Rajasthan during the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning.

The highest maximum temperature of 44.0 degree Celsius was recorded for the third successive day at Sambalpur in Orissa, and also in Idar (Gujarat) and Chandrapur (Vidarbha), reflecting the extent of the westward build of top heat.

No significant change in maximum temperatures is predicted over the Indo-Gangetic plains and adjoining parts of central and east India during the next two days.

MAY RISE FURTHER

Maximum temperature may rise further over Rajasthan, interior Gujarat and west Madhya Pradesh leading to heat wave conditions over more areas during the next three days, the IMD said.

Meanwhile, the seasonal north-south trough had shifted alignment overnight to run down from east Bihar to Marathwada across Jharkhand, Orissa, south Chhattisgarh and north Telangana.

It featured an embedded cyclonic circulation over Marathwada and neighbourhood at the southern end with potential for generating unstable weather (isolated thunderstorms and showers) along the formation.

Strong northwesterlies to westerlies have been prevailing over the Gangetic plains.

Satellite imagery showed the presence of convective clouds over parts of south Bay of Bengal.

Low to medium clouds (partly clouded conditions) were seen over Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, peninsular India and southeast Arabian Sea.

The convective (rain-bearing) clouds over the south Bay of Bengal was part of the larger parcel constituting an easterly wave in the making, with a predominant bearing to the southeast (off Indonesia).


The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is of the view that the resultant moisture transport from south and southeast Bay would precipitate a wet session over southeast coastal Tamil Nadu and adjoining Kerala (southwest coast) during the week ending April 14.

The proceedings would become better organised during the week that follows (April 14 to 22) with more areas in southern Tamil Nadu getting wet even as Kerala would see a likely scaling up of shower activity.

This outlook is mostly endorsed by the Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services as also the International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate Prediction and Society at Columbia University.

Isolated to scattered rain or thundershowers would occur over extreme south peninsular India and Lakshadweep, the IMD said in its update.

International models indicate a revival of seasonal thunderstorm activity over northeast India from Saturday (April 10) onwards as western disturbances touch off fresh activity in the region.

The IMD too has said in its outlook that isolated to scattered rain or thundershowers accompanied with isolated thunder squall would occur here during the next 48 hours and increase thereafter.

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