Weather updates from 20-Jun-09 to till now...

Chennai - Cloudy for more than 2 hrs now(3:05pm) and Some sprinkles in Saidapet area.5 minutes ago from twhirl

Chennai - After 25 days chennai recorded a below 39 deg yesterday... 37.5°C (1:20pm)about 7 hours ago from AlertThingy

http://twitpic.com/8gr2s - Here's the latest sat pic showin.. Bay activity, Active western coast and Heavy pre-monsoon over Madhyapradesh.about 19 hours ago from TwitPic

Heavy pre monsoon thunder showers over central Madhya Pradesh.about 19 hours ago from AlertThingy

Chennai - 2mm rain around Egmore area.about 19 hours ago from AlertThingy

@followkris .. Looks like though... No report of rain yet from inside Chennai City limits... I'm reporting from Saidapet.about 21 hours ago from AlertThingy

Chennai - Huge Rain cloud build-up over West and south-west . And it's moving rapidly towards main chennai.about 21 hours ago from AlertThingy

@followkris . Yes, u are correct. Due to strong & active monsoon winds over south-western coast. We are having it's effect here in Chennai.about 22 hours ago from AlertThingy

Monsoon active over western coast. .. http://bit.ly/sXmcPabout 22 hours ago from AlertThingy

El Nino may be hindering Indian monsoon ... http://bit.ly/pcGcHabout 23 hours ago from AlertThingy

Chennai - Thunder cell formations can be seen over west and south-west.2:07 PM Jun 26th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Getting cloudy now 2 pm, with few HIGH and LOW clouds.2:02 PM Jun 26th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Yesterday evening rain: a Squally passing shower drenched south, south-west and south-east parts of Chennai.12:03 PM Jun 26th from AlertThingy

http://twitpic.com/8d96x - Latest satellite shot shows monsoon getting vigorous along west coast from Maharastra to southern tip of India.6:41 PM Jun 25th from TwitPic

@followkris Yes, it's always a treat to watch nature's wonder.4:10 PM Jun 25th from AlertThingy

Chennai - a Rain shower is passing thru south-west and now (4:08pm) passing thru southern out skirts of Chennai. Nothing in Saidapet.4:09 PM Jun 25th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Very hot now 40.2°C (2:53pm), A heavy cloud build-up over Chennai from west-south-west. Possibility of a SUPER shower is increasin3:56 PM Jun 25th from AlertThingy

Chennai - now 2pm, Temperature tounching 39.5 deg, Good breeze from south-west and Already we can see thunder cells lined up over souht- ...3:08 PM Jun 25th from AlertThingy

"93A" is now big and over North Arabian sea, just south of Pakistan... Going to be like a cyclone to Oman in Jun-2007..???2:28 PM Jun 25th from AlertThingy

Weak Monsoon hits Mumbai. .. http://bit.ly/ttGta8:29 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Rainfall on 23-Jun-09:: Devala (Nilgiris dt) 6 cm. Other stations recorded below 5 cm.8:29 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Madippakam again left with mild drizzles and Rain has moved to south-east of Chennai.7:55 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

More pre monsoon showers can be seen over south-Madhyapradesh and south-east Rajasthan.7:18 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Severe thunder storms can be seen over western Orissa.7:17 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

"93A" rainfall over sourastra & Kutch region:: Sutrapada-17, Veraval-17, Mangrol-15, Ranavav-10, Porbandar-7, Kalyanpur-7 cm.7:15 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

"93A" is over Sea again, now near southern Pakistan. Central bay is active.South and south-east Arabian sea is also active, good for monsoon7:13 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Madipakkam...Started drizzle with squally winds.7:10 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Hearing thunder from Madippakam region... so it's near 20 km. Surely the south-west suburbs are receiving showers now 6:52pm.6:52 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Now 6:47pm (madipakkam) we can see huge thunder storm moving into Chennai from south-south-west..looks pretty heavy and widespread6:50 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Lots of thunder cells could be seen from west to south horizon... at around 5pm.6:48 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Another HOT HOT day 39.9°C (2:31pm)... when this is goin to COOL..!!3:55 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Delhiites feel the heat as mercury touches 44 degree C ... http://bit.ly/3bf3E3:53 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

WMO's monsoon projection .... http://bit.ly/16dyg23:52 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Poor monsoon so far (Chart) ... http://bit.ly/mKxUN3:52 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

http://twitpic.com/89ots - Latest satellite pic shows the Head of "93A" is over Sea again and more central Bay activity.3:07 PM Jun 24th from TwitPic

"93A" after making a landfall over south Gujarat, now it has moved to WEST and now 2:57pm it's over Sea again... now what.??2:59 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Central Bay is very active from yesterday(23-Jun-09) evening.2:58 PM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Almost FULL West coast is active with monsoon showers now 11 am.11:28 AM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Latest on Depression "93A" over Gujarat. http://bit.ly/Ulx2m9:17 AM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Depression "93A" makes landfall over southern Gujarat.9:08 AM Jun 24th from AlertThingy

Depression "93A" in striking distance .. http://bit.ly/8Z7bM9:54 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Pre-monsoon showers over north Maharastra, Gujarat and even into South-Rajasthan. Meanwhile monsoon is active over southern Kerala.7:38 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Central bay is also active, possibility of a LOW in another 24 hrs. Watch out for 2 LOW on either side of sub-continent. Good for Monsoon.7:36 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Chennai - No thunder cells today as of now 6:53pm, but cloud formations can be seen over to the west. We have good sea breeze from East.6:54 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

http://twitpic.com/86los - Outer swirl of "93A" is now touching southern Gujarat. And monsoon is vigorous over Central and eastern Bay.6:09 PM Jun 23rd from TwitPic

Chennai - Again touched a super high of 40.5°C (3:04pm)... now coming down fast. Good breeze from east over the sea.3:52 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Kanyakumari rainfall on 21-Jun-09:: Kuzhithurai and Thuckalay 2 cm each.1:45 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Rainfall on 21-Jun-09:: Kunnamkulam (Thrissur dt) 5, Thalassery (Kannur dt) and Alland (Gulbarga dt) 4 cm each.1:44 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

To the people of Gujarat: Late monsoon coming with a bang! .. http://bit.ly/z4Pej1:01 PM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

"93A" is located 85 NM WEST- NORTHWEST OF MUMBAI and JTWC has issued a Cyclone formation alert.9:44 AM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

As expected we are following a LOW system just south of Gujarat.. system is being followed as "93A"9:40 AM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Monsoon rains concentrated to southern Kerala.9:38 AM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Windy and 40 deg day ahead. And 70% chance of getting respite from Rain after 5 pm.9:37 AM Jun 23rd from AlertThingy

Nagercoil - Intermittent showers and drizzle continue from 4pm.10:31 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Wide spread Mild showers thru out chennai at around 7 pm... some area received heavy showers and some mild drizzles alone.10:27 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Almost all region of Western coast is getting good monsoon rains now 5:58pm.5:58 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Some weak thunder cell formations can be seen over south-west.5:43 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Nagercoil - Light rain has started.4:42 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Temperature getting down fast, Good cloud formations over to the west, cloud formation are fed by moist sea winds from east.4:17 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Monsoon activities can be seen over Mumbai. More premonsoon showers develop over north Maharastra and south Gujarat.4:13 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

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Chennai - Now 3:01pm we have nice breeze from East-south-east from Sea... this might trigger a thunder storm.3:03 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Recorded a super high of 40.1°C at 2:37pm... this is unusual during late June.3:01 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - After a mild start to the day now 1:42pm temperature is peaking at 38.8°C.. even with winds gusting upto 24km/hr1:44 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

El Nino may suppress monsoon ... http://bit.ly/m5z5h1:41 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Wanted urgently: Rains in India .. http://bit.ly/17cNNn1:41 PM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Good Overnight monsoon rains from central coastal Kerala to Goa.9:03 AM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

Chennai - Another DEEP blue sky day, wind gusts from south-west upto 18 Km/Hr... As always temperature is on the rise.9:01 AM Jun 22nd from AlertThingy

http://twitpic.com/80bps - This wind & pressure forecast suggests a good circulation near southern Gujarat in another 48 hrs.8:40 PM Jun 21st from TwitPic

Above 15th parallel and below 20th parallel, over the north-central Arabian sea there's a potential circulation.8:30 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Lots of thunder activity over North-west maharastra, Mumbai, offshore Maharastra and southern Gujarat. West bengal also receive some rain.8:29 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Southern Andhra is active with lotsthunder showers over the past week. Jammalamadugu (Cuddapah dt) recorded a rainfall of 7 cm on 20-Jun-095:18 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

IMD, says that the Monsoon will revive again during the coming week, but actually now we have signs of dying down over the western coast.5:16 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Going by latest rainfall amounts for 20-Jun-09, It shows the rainfall intensity over the western coast has gone down drastically.5:14 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Possibility of a Depression over north Arabian sea... we'll update on it as it forms.4:51 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Nagercoil(NGL) - Monsoon showers continue, intermittently. We had showers around 8 am after that it's cloudy now.12:49 PM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Latest sat. pic. shows... Monsoon might strike Mumbai and southern Gujarat... in next 72 hrs.11:36 AM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

@vinoh Yesterday night also we had great weather... check out www.indiaweather.co.cc or follow my tweets, dedicated to weather.11:28 AM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Chennai - Now it's partly cloudy & clearing fast, but temperature is around 32 deg Celsius. That's COOL after 30 days.11:15 AM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Chennai - southern & central Chennai received some mild drizzles alone, while northern & north-west received quiet heavy rain.11:13 AM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

Chennai - Yesterday night around 8:30 & 9:30 a thunder storm from north-west swept across northern suburbs of Chennai and crossed into sea.11:12 AM Jun 21st from AlertThingy

chennai - Gusts continue as lightning activity increases. Now 9:07 pm hearing thunder.9:09 PM Jun 20th from ceTwit

chennai - Huge wide area formation. Now 8:49pm winds started gustin from west. Less activity of lightning can be observed.8:51 PM Jun 20th from ceTwit

chennai - huge thunder storm brewing over north-west horizon of chennai. Wind is from south-south-west8:26 PM Jun 20th from ceTwit

Rainfall on 19-Jun-09:: Kannur recorded a very heavy rainfall of 18 Centimetres, Kochi Airport and Aminidivi 6 cm each.6:31 PM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Thunder showers can be seen over Southern and central Andhra and to the north-west of Maharastra. Mumbai have received some showers.!!6:22 PM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Mumbai is getting some pre-monsoon showers... can anyone confirm this now..??4:43 PM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Chennai - recorded a high of 39.5°C (1:36pm)... when this is going to go down.2:51 PM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Early morning there was a huge thunder storm near the coast of Andhra. we can see the remnants still hanging from sea to inland.12:21 PM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Chennai - Before 9 am it's already 34 deg celsius... going to be a BAD HOT HUMID day with some some wind from west.8:51 AM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Latest satellite pic shows a well weakened "92B" almost vanished.8:46 AM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Cumulative rain(1st-17th June):: Actual rainfall for the country as a whole is 39.5 mm against a normal of 72.5 mm with a deficiency of 45%.8:43 AM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Kanyakumari district rainfall on 18-Jun-09:: Puthan dam and Perunchani 4 CM each, Pechipparai, Thuckalay, Suralacode & Sivalogam 3 CM each.8:41 AM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Rainfall on 18-Jun-09:: Honavar 18, Aminidivi 15 and Kochi Airport and Shirali 9 CM each.8:38 AM Jun 20th from AlertThingy

Monsoon active over western coast.

Getting reports of heavy rain from south-Karnataka coast to southern tip of India.

Latest satellite pic also shows huge cloud activity thruout western coast., active central Bay and DEAD remains of "93A" just south of Pakistan.

Monsoon is on a HIGH over south-coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

Latest rainfall reports recorded on morning of 26-Jun-09.

Piravom (Ernakulam dt), 11, Kozhikode, Aluva (Ernakulam dt) 9 each, and CIAL Kochi and Mulki (Dakshina Kannada dt) 7 each.

Perinthalamanna and Angadipuram (both Malapuram dt), Kozhikode Airport, Kunnamkulam (Thrissur dt), Perumbavur (Ernakulam dt), Mangalore Airport and Panambur 6 each, Thanjavur, Natham (Dindigul dt),Cannur, Hosdurg (Kasargode dt), Ottapalam (Palakkad dt), Peermedu and Thodupuzha (both Idukki dt) 5 each, Thalasserry (Cannur dt), Thrissur, Kochi Airport, Alapuzha, Mancompu (Alapuzha dt), Thiruvalla (Pathanamthitta dt), Varkala (Thiruvanathapuram dt), Shriali and Honavar 4 each, Devala (Nilgiris dt), Mannarkad (Palakkad dt),Vellanikara (Thrissur dt),Sirpur (Adilabad dt) and Karwar 3 each, Nagapattinam, Naduvattam (Nilgiris dt), Vaikom and Kozha (Kottayam dt), Punalur, Amini Divi ,Belgaum Airport, Madikeri, Agumbe and Sakelashpura (Hassan dt) 2 each and Papanasam (Thanjavur dt), Valparai, Chinna Kallar (Coimbatore dt), Gudalur Bazar (Nilgiris dt), Ariyalur, Periyakulam (Theni dt), Chittur (Palakkad dt), Kottayam, Kanjirapally (Kottayam dt), Konni (Pathanamthitta dt), Agathi Airport, Minicoy, Hubli (Dharwad dt), Arakkuvallery (Visakapattinam dt), Gadag, Nargund (Gadag dt), Shorapur (Gulburga dt), Talaguppa (Shimoga dt),Sringeri, Mudigere and Balehonnur (all Chickmagalur dt), Hassan and Nanjangud (Mysore dt)1 each.

Latest IMD report on Monsoon::

The northern limit of monsoon passes through Lat. 23.0°N / Long. 60.0°E and Lat. 23.0°N / Long. 65.0°E, Bhuj, Baroda, Nasik, Sholapur, Hyderabad, Kalingapatnam, Paradip, Balasore, Bankura and Gangtok till date.

···· A low pressure area is likely to form over northwest Bay of Bengal during next 24 hours. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over remaining parts of Karnataka, some more parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, remaining parts of West Bengal & Sikkim and some parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh during next 3-4 days.

El Nino may be hindering Indian monsoon

India's faltering monsoon rains may be affected by a nascent El Nino weather anomaly forming in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, a leading U.S. scientist said Thursday.

"The developing El Nino might be playing a role in the rather slow start to the Indian monsoon," Vernon Kousky, the top EL Nino specialist at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center, said in an email interview with Reuters.

The CPC is an office under the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

India's Meteorological Department said Thursday the country's annual monsoon rains for the week ended June 24 were 68 percent below normal, posing a threat to farmers who depend heavily on these rains to sow their crops.

A weak Indian monsoon would impact markets ranging from gold to sugar, wheat to vegetable oils.

India is the world's biggest consumer of both gold and sugar, with farmers there buying the metal ahead of the year-end festival of lights.

El Nino is a weather phenomenon which results in an abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The reverse is true in the La Nina weather phenomenon.

In its monthly update, the CPC said an El Nino could form during the June to August period this year.

Occurring every three years or so, El Nino wreaks havoc in weather patterns from South Africa to India to Southeast Asia and all the way to South America and the Atlantic basin.

A severe El Nino spawns searing drought in countries like Indonesia and Australia, while causing heavy flooding in Peru, Ecuador and Chile among others.

Some scientists believe El Nino encourages wind shear that could disrupt the formation of storms during the Atlantic hurricane season. So instead of an average of about 10 storms, which would threaten oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, the number may be less.

It may also affect winter weather in the world's top heating oil market, the U.S. Northeast.

El Nino, which means small boy in Spanish, was named in honor of the Christ child by anchovy fishermen in South America who first noticed the phenomenon in the 19th Century.

The last strong El Nino struck in 1998 around the time of the Asian financial crisis. It killed several thousand people and caused billions in damages to crops and roads and bridges.

Kousky said, "Several models are forecasting a significant El Nino, which could be comparable to past strong events."

But, he added, it was still "a bit too early to make confident forecasts of its intensity" for this developing El Nino in 2009.

Climate and weather scientists should have a better idea about the possible strength of this El Nino by August, he said.

The peak intensity of most El Ninos normally takes place around December to January.

Taken from:: http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-40604420090625?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

IMD dismisses 'El Nino' factor for slow progress of Monsoon

Even as a truant monsoon raised concerns over the prospects of Kharif crop, meteorologists here on Wednesday refused to give credence to the theory that the 'El Nino' impact could be the factor behind its slow progress in the country.

Still hopeful of its revival by the June end, India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Central Weather Observatory officials said the monsoon after getting stuck over Karnataka, was advancing further into southern parts of Gujarat, Kutch and Konkan.

A clearer picture on its further progress was expected to emerge on Thursday, they added.

However, the Deputy Director General (Weather Forecasting) A.B. Muzumdar on Wednesday sought to play down the reported 'El Nino' impact as being responsible for the tentative monsoon so far.

"This phenomenon occurs after every three to four years but it has no direct cause and effect relationship with the monsoons in India," he told PTI.

Weak Monsoon hits Mumbai.

Mumbai rain

IMD monsoon status::
The southwest monsoon has further advanced into entire central Arabian sea, some parts of north Arabian sea, south Gujarat state, remaining parts of north Konkan and some more parts of Madhya Maharahtra. The northern limit of monsoon passes through Lat. 23.0°N / Long. 60.0°E and Lat. 23.0°N / Long. 65.0°E, Bhuj, Baroda, Nasik, Sholapur, Hyderabad, Kalingapatnam, Paradip, Balasore, Bankura and Gangtok.

Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over remaining parts of Gujarat state during next 48 hours.

Meanwhile a weak current of monsoon is over Mumbai.
Following news piece taken from News.rediff.com.
Mumbai city and suburbs received intermittent rains throughout the day on Tuesday. The Weather Bureau said Colaba recorded 6.8mm of rainfall and Santacruz 5.1 mm. Normal life was not affected due to the rains.

Rainfall likely to be 93% of normal, says government

Original from:: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/delayed_monsoon_govt_drawing_up_contingency_plan.php

It's official now. The government's forecast says India will have a below average monsoon overall.

On the whole, the forecast is for seven percent below average rainfall, with a margin of error between plus and minus four percent, which means theoretically between eleven percent to four percent below average rain.

The Met department has downgraded the forecast for the Monsoon from "near normal" to "below normal".

So, the prediction is for 93% of long term average rainfall.

But the big worry is that northwestern India, which is the granary of the country, is forecast to get only 81% of the average rainfall.

But predictions and models aside, the Monsoon is known to catch up and cover shorfalls. There is a strong hope for a revival of the monsoon as there are rain bearing clouds over both the Arabian Sea & the Bay of Bengal.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stepped in and asked the Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting of a Committee of Secretaries to monitor the situation on a daily basis.

The rains, which should have covered most parts of the country by now, have stopped their movement ahead. The worry is that sixty per cent of the crops are rain fed and the government is drawing up contingency plans to counter the situation.

The north and central parts of the country are already sizzling under a heat wave and a drought will derail the newly-elected government's food security promises.

Heat wave prevails

The weathermen have warned of severe conditions over most parts of the country. Temperatures are well above 40 degrees.

Uttar Pradesh has been consistently recording temperatures above 40 degrees. So is Bihar, where water scarcity is adding to the heat trauma.

Jharkhand is reeling at 44 degrees. Temperatures are about 5 degrees above normal in Orissa. Chhatisgarh is scorching at 44 and in MP too water woes are adding to the crisis. Vidarbha is above 40 degrees for the past 7 days and so is Rajasthan.

There is no respite in Delhi and the noon temperatures can rise up to 46 degrees.

Depression "93A" makes landfall..

Take a look at latest sat pic of depression "93A" making landfall over Southern Gujarat.

Along it comes weak South-west monsoon to Gujarat.
It seems monsoon has by-passed Mumbai...!!!

Latest IMD report::
The depression over east central Arabian Sea moved further northwestwards and crossed the coast near Diu of south Gujarat coast between 1830 to 2030 hrs IST of today, the 23rd June 2009. The system is likely to move in a north-northwesterly direction and weaken gradually.
Under its influence, rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls (≥ 25 cm) is likely over Saurashtra & Kutch during next 24 hrs. Rainfall at many places with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is likely over Gujarat region during the same period. Rainfall at many places with isolated heavy falls is also likely over north Konkan during next 24 hrs.
Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph are likely along and off Gujarat coast during next 12 hrs. Sea condition will be rough to very rough along and off these coasts. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea along and off these coasts.

Poor monsoon so far (Chart)

WMO monsoon projection

IMD has been predicting a normal monsoon during the June-September season since March.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) seems to have taken a cautious stand over the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) projection of a ‘poor monsoon’ due to a probable ‘El Nino’ impact. The IMD did not agree with WMO’s projections, saying, “El Nino and the progress of monsoon are not mutually exclusive events”, and remained non-committal over its earlier projection of a “normal monsoon” for the June-September 2009 season.

“We will consider the possibility of the “El Nino” impact on the progress of monsoon in India and then announce a final projection on June 25 in New Delhi. Till then, we would not like to comment on the ‘El Nino factor’ discussed by the WMO,” A B Mazumdar, deputy director general, IMD, Pune, told Business Standard.

Interestingly, top scientists and researchers from the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) expressed concerns over the development of “El Nino” in the Pacific Ocean region. “If El Nino impact is built in the central portion of the Pacific Ocean, then there is every chance of the same having an adverse impact on the progress of monsoon in India,” scientists maintained.

The IMD has been predicting a normal monsoon during the June-September season since March. However, the south-western winds did not progress across the country even after hitting Kerala at the right time on May 23. The WMO has predicted a “greater than average” chance of an “El Nino” known globally for droughts and adverse weather conditions, building over the Pacific Ocean.

The report suggests that India had experienced a severe drought during the year 2004 when a similar ‘El Nino’ condition was observed. The delayed monsoon has already caused a shortfall of rains by 45 per cent in June. The WMO report has expressed concerns over the progress of monsoon in the wake of a probable ‘El Nino’ formation.

This development is very significant as the “delayed monsoon” brings along a big risk to the Indian economy because of its adverse impact on the summer crops (kharif). The sowing for the kharif season happens during the months of July and August and this is the period when India receives almost 65 per cent of its annual rain fall. This rainfall is more crucial since more than 60 per cent of kharif cultivation is directly dependent on the monsoon.

This comes as a complete contrast to the IMD projections of a normal rainfall during the season. Mazumdar further stated, “El Nino impact is developed far away from India and hence, it does not necessarily affect Indian rains. While the year 2004 (when El Nino had developed) saw a severe drought across India, we must remember the year 1997, when the country received heavy rains even with an intense El Nino situation. Hence, we would not like to associate with the WMO report as of now.” When asked, if the IMD expects a curtailed monsoon during the June-September period, Mazumdar avoided comment.

IITM scientist Krishna Kumar told Business Standard, “The progress of the monsoon has been severely hit. If El Nino impact is built within the Pacific Ocean, then there are chances of the monsoon progress being hit further. Although, there is not a direct relation between these two things, a possibility of an adverse impact cannot be ruled out.” Kumar added, “Indian monsoon is hit only when the El Nino is built in the central region of the Pacific Ocean. There have been El Nino instances in the Eastern region, which did not hit the monsoon. Hence, we must observe the development of El Nino and only then, we can predict its impact.”

Another researcher from IITM pointed out at the chances of further subtraction of the monsoon over next two weeks. “We have observed moderate indications of an El Nino development. And therefore, we have so far had a poor progress. This can be associated with the developing El Nino. Still, we cannot draw any conclusions at this point of time,” the researcher said.

Weak winds signal poor rains

The IMD’s national weather forecasting centre in Pune on Tuesday said the progress of south-western winds had been hit by the dry winds flowing from the northern region towards the south. Cloud formation was, thus, below expectations. This has also weakened the winds flowing in from the west coast. If the situation continued, poor rainfall would be observed for another month, the IMD said.

Original from:: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/wmo-monsoon-projection-imd-cautious/361938/

Delhiites feel the heat as mercury touches 44 degree C

Mercury level touched the 44-degree Celsius mark, five degrees about normal here on Tuesday.

The usual hustle-bustle of traffic and people on Delhi roads was missing on Tuesday with most of the local people preferring to stay indoors.

Major landmarks, like India Gate, which attracts hundreds of tourists every day, saw a miniscule arrival of visitors today.

“The temperature is high in New Delhi. I came to Delhi on a holiday but it is really hot here… Ii is hard even to step out in such weather,” said Rajendra Verma, a tourist.

People, who were compelled to move out of their houses, could be seen running for shelter under trees or carrying umbrellas to avoid the sunrays.

Local residents opined that it would be unwise for anyone to move out without taking necessary precautions against the sweltering heat.

“I want to say that please take protection during summers…drink lemon water and try to avoid stepping out in the sun,” said Monika, a local resident.

Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department has warned that this situation would continue for the next four-five days.

“We are not expecting any respite from this heat wave condition over north-west India because such type of weather will continue for another four days, so temperature will around 44 and 45 over northwest India will prevail for another four or five days,” said B. S. Yadav, an official of the Indian Meteorological Department.

He added that southwest monsoon might cover western India by first week of July