Rain deficit 5% as monsoon trough wavers

The axis of the monsoon trough has returned to its normal position, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said on Thursday evening. But it is not expected to stay fixed to this alignment for long and could keep moving north and south of the mean for the next two to three days.

PACIFIC STORM

Monsoon performance too could get impacted in the process, which has lately run into a tropical storm in the South China Sea, remnant of an earlier typhoon of the same name in the Philippine Sea.

And, the overall rain deficit inched up to five per cent on Thursday, unable to march the high July normal.

This is despite widespread rainfall being reported from the east, parts of northwest and the west coast. But not over central and peninsular India, and it made a lot of difference.

An IMD update said that the 24 hours ending Thursday morning saw widespread rainfall has being reported from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Konkan and Goa.

CLOUD PRESENCE

It was fairly widespread over Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, the Northeastern States, interior Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Scattered rains were reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala while it was isolated over Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu.

WEATHER WARNING

The cloud formations were whipped up in the north by a western disturbance parked over north Pakistan and an offshoot upper air cyclonic circulation over Punjab and neighbourhood.

The monsoon trough running across northwest-southwest of the plains as also a persisting upper air cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal too chipped in. And a feeble off shore trough continued to run down from Gujarat coast to Kerala coast.

A weather warning valid for the next two days said that heavy to very heavy rainfall would break out at a few places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

A short-term outlook until Sunday said that widespread rain or thundershowers would occur over west coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Fairly widespread rain or thundershowers would break out over northwest India, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, the Northeastern States and Lakshadweep. Scattered rain or thundershowers are likely over the remaining parts of the country except extreme peninsular India . 

from http://www.thehindubusinessline.com