Heavy rains lash Odisha, East MP, Chhattisgarh, J&K

Heavy to very heavy rainfall broke out over Odisha on Wednesday, while it was heavy over deficit areas of North-West India including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh; East Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, plains of West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said on Thursday.

The significant amounts of rainfall reported during this period included Jharsiguda-15; Katra-12; Khajuraho and Hirakud-11 each; Titlagarh and Sundargarh-10 each; Mandi, Nowgong, Balasore and Angul-8 each; and Jammu, Dharmasala, Raipur, Diamond Harbour and Sambalpur-7 each, the IMD statistics receal.

Well-marked low holds up

A prevailing well-marked low pressure area lies over South-West Jharkhand, and may move west-northwestwards across North Chhattisgarh, North Madhya Pradesh and South Uttar Pradesh during the next three days. The western end of the monsoon trough runs close to the foothills of Himalayas while the eastern end is south of its normal position (active).

The western end is likely to shift southwards from Thursday and remain at its normal position for the subsequent two days and revert northwards to the foothills of the Himalayas thereafter for the subsequent 4-5 days. This would once again mean the possibility of rains for the hills of North-West India as well as some of its adjoining plains.

The overall rain surplus has sprung back to eight per cent on Thursday with only Jammu & Kashmir (-32 per cent); Ladakh (-52 per cent); and Manipur (-48 per cent); Mizoram (-29 per cent); and Nagaland (-23 per cent) in deficit. Convergence of strong winds from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal will continue over the plains of North-West India from Thursday into Sunday.

Widespread rains forecast

Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls is forecast over the rain-deficient Uttarakhand as also West Uttar Pradesh August 31 (Monday).

A similar outlook is valid over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on Thursday and Friday; over West Rajasthan from Friday to Monday; and over East Rajasthan from Thursday to Monday. Being the last of the August series of low-pressure areas, it is only in the fitness of things that they pour their contents over the desert state.

It is from West Rajasthan that the monsoon begins to withdraw from September 1, after a four-month run over the country that started on the dot on June 1 this year over the south-west coast of Kerala. The IMD has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy falls for East Rajasthan on Saturday and Sunday.

Trough wakes up South

On Thursday, the western end of the parent monsoon trough ran close to the foothills of Himalayas (north of its usual position) while ling extended east-south-east through Bahraich, Varanasi, centre of the well-marked low over South-West Jharkhand, Digha and dipping into the North Bay of Bengal, which is replete with the likelihood for formation of another circulation.

Meanwhile, in the South, which has not seen organised monsoon showers except the hit-and-miss thunderstorms, may be priming for even more such since a trough runs down from Rayalaseema to South Tamil Nadu. The non-seasonal trough is a signal to the absence of monsoonal weather anywhere near. There is none in sight except a possible circulation in the Bay.

Instead, what is likely to emerge is a trough-like formation over the South-West Bay of Bengal closer to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, which could set off rains in the region early into September even as the likely circulation takes care of the eastern parts of the country. Rain from the system may benefit West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar.

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