Thiruvananthapuram, May 8 A fresh western disturbance is forecast to affect northwest India on Saturday and Sunday, once again capping the mercury seeking to square up after the passing of a predecessor system.
The maximum temperatures on Friday were below normal by 2 to 3 degree Celsius over parts of Madhya Pradesh and northwest India.
These are expected to look up by the same levels over the next two days but that's about how high they would possibly go to, given the fresh incoming westerly system.
DAY'S HIGH
The highest maximum temperature of 44 degree Celsius was recorded at Sambalpur in Orissa. Temperatures were above normal in West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, coastal Orissa and south peninsular India.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its update on Friday that scattered thunderstorms may get activated over the North-East during the next two days and fairly widespread thereafter.
Numerical weather prediction models suggested thunderstorm activity over Uttar Pradesh, east and adjoining central India from Monday to Wednesday.
THUNDERSTORMS
Rain or thundershowers have been forecast at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand during the same period and at a few places thereafter.
Isolated dust storm or thunderstorm is likely over Rajasthan and over the rest of the region from Sunday. South Madhya Maharashtra too, will witness unsettled weather along the same lines during the next two days. On Friday, the pre-monsoon trough line or wind discontinuity (where opposing wind regimes merge) ran down from Orissa to south Tamil Nadu through south Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rayalaseema.
This weather feature materialises when northwesterlies from the Arabian Sea get steered round the peninsular tip and become southeasterlies from the Bay of Bengal to waft into the east coast and interior peninsula.
LOCALISED CONVECTION
Moisture transported in fuels localised convection and a line of thunderstorms gets thrown up along the trough/wind discontinuity. This is how the pre-monsoon thunderstorms/squalls set themselves up along a north-south corridor over the peninsula.
Towards the east, rain or thundershowers have been forecast at isolated places over West Bengal, Sikkim, Orissa, Jharkhand and the North-East.
In the South, rain or thundershowers are likely at a few places over Kerala, coastal and south interior Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, north interior Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
MORE RAIN
The Regional Met Centre, Chennai, said in its update that rainfall occurred at a few places over Kerala and north interior Karnataka. Isolated rainfall occurred over Tamil Nadu and south interior Karnataka. Rentachintala recorded the highest maximum temperature of 45 degree Celsius. Forecast for the next two days said that rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at a few places over Kerala and interior Karnataka. Isolated rain or thundershowers are likely to occur over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Lakshadweep. Heat wave conditions prevailed at isolated places in coastal Orissa and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
BAY WINDS
Winds are southwesterly over the Bay of Bengal and have clocked speeds of 30 km/hr at their best. Rains were traced over the open seas east of Sri Lanka. The winds are forecast to become more southerly in the Bay around May 15 carrying surplus moisture.
Over the southwest coast (Kerala), the winds were northwesterly to westerly on Friday. Satellite pictures showed loosely organised clusters of cloud just over the equator.