Skymet weather

Chhattisgarh, MP, Jharkhand to receive rain in wake of cyclone Hudhud

Paddy fieldAfter withdrawal of Southwest Monsoon, rain in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand becomes minimal. These states largely depend on passage of any Western Disturbance, which is usually not active during the months of October and November.

The weather during the last ten days have been dry in these places, except for some isolated light rain. Temperatures have also been recording in the mid-thirties. Unlike the northern plains the daytime is fairly hot here.

However, in the wake of cyclone Hudhud there can be some rain in these sates including east Uttar Pradesh. Cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal normally cross Odisha coast and continue to affect weather in these pockets in terms of good rain.

Cyclone Hudhud is likely to make landfall between Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Gopalpur in Odisha on the night of October 11 or early morning of October 12. After the cyclone makes landfall, the area will witness heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. It will weaken gradually but the impact will be felt in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and east Uttar Pradesh also.

Rain in these states due to cyclone Hudhud will hamper farming as harvesting of crops will get delayed and wastage will go up. These state are already bearing the brunt of poor monsoon rains and this unwanted showers may aggravate the problem of the farmers further.

 

Indian seas are most susceptible to severe cyclones

The Super Cyclonic Storm of 1999 that caused immense destruction in Odisha reminds us that Indian seas are the deadliest basins for formation of sever cyclones. Phailin was the strongest tropical cyclone that ever made landfall in India after this. Nevertheless, destruction in terms of life and property was negligible in comparison to the former cyclone.

In the recent past, technical improvement, early warnings, regular tracking and monitoring gives enough time for mitigation of damage to life and property. In wake of Phailin, 550,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

Every year 10% of tropical storms across the world appear in the north Indian Ocean and on an average 5 to 6 of them become tropical cyclones.

The yearly ratio of cyclones building up in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea is 4:1 as the latter is relatively much cooler.

Cyclones originating in Arabian Sea

The western part of Arabian Sea is cooler and thus, not conducive for growth of cyclones. Gujarat is the main pocket to get threatened from the Arabian Sea and witnesses about 70% of the cyclones. 10% of them hit Maharashtra coast while rest of them drifts away to Oman or Pakistan.

Cyclones originating in Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal is more prone to intense cyclones with 65% of them striking the Indian coast and 25% drifting away to Myanmar or Bangladesh. 10% of Cyclones dissipate into the sea due to cold waters, strong wind shear or if they come in proximity to the equator.

Odisha and Bengal bear the brunt of cyclones in October, Andhra Pradesh in November and Tamil Nadu in December.

 

 

Erratic weather change heralds autumn in U.K.

uk CroppedIt’s the shock of the system that’s heralding the start of autumn in U.K.

Right after the driest and warmest September ever, it’s the wet and windy October that has left U.K. residents in a shock. Power outages, flood warnings and alerts and misty mornings overwhelm England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and other parts of U.K. as people brace up for the start of autumn.

 

 

A notable drop in temperatures from 20Cs on Friday in the South to 16C by Sunday also led to mist and fog in few parts of Britain in the last three days. Chilly nights are also expected to descend by the weekend.

The Indian summer in U.K. was forecasted to be wiped out by rain during the first week of October. However, it is the torrential rain instead of light rain in October that washed away September’s record breaking sweltering heat.

Covenham in Lincolnshire saw the highest levels of 27.4 mm rain falling over just six hours.
Greater Manchester saw more rain fall in the first week of October than the whole of last month. It recorded 30 mm of rain in just first six days of October as compared to 22 mm in entire September.
Due to heavy downpour, daily life is trapped in mayhem. More than 10,000 homes have been left without power in last two days as 84 mph winds ripped out power lines in Cumbria and Northern Ireland.

Motorists have been advised to take extra care while travelling in order to avoid being stranded in the standing water.

As winds get gutsy due to potential storm conditions, heavy rain along with gusty winds is definitely slated to bring chilly nights in much of UK, making people sit tight inside their homes till the upcoming weekend.

Odisha, Andhra Pradesh brace for cyclone Hudhud

ODRAF personnel checking equipmentAs cyclone Hudhud intensifies into severe cyclonic storm, both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh gear up for the impact of the cyclone, which is expected to make landfall by the night of October 11 or the morning of October 12.

According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Cyclone Hudhud, which is named after a colourful bird, is currently centred around 13.7°N latitude and 89.2°E longitude, more than 800 km away from north Andhra and south Odisha coast near Long Island.

Authorities in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are on high alert as the storm could hit anywhere between Visakhapatnam in Andhra coast and Gopalpur in the neighbouring state of Odisha.

Odisha state government led by Navin Patnaik had called for an urgent cyclone preparedness review meeting on Wednesday, with several departments including National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), fire department, police, water resources, energy and special relief commissioner.

Speaking to leading daily, The Times of India, Patnaik said that the state was fully prepared to meet any eventuality arising out of the cyclonic storm. The departments are already chalking out a contingency plan to deal with it and ensuring there is no loss of life.

Odisha Disaster Rapid action force (ODRAF) personnel were seen checking up their equipments during the preparations ahead of the cyclone, which is bearing down on the coast exactly a year after cyclone Phailin battered Odisha.

Warnings have been issued to fishermen and locals from venturing out in the sea. Cyclone shelters are being prepared as the authorities get ready to evacuate people. Last year also, timely evacuation of close to one million people in the state  saved countless lives .

Meanwhile, panicked locals in the coastal areas were seen stocking essential items ranging from food to fuel.

Punched with a speed of 90 kmph at the core and gusting at 110 kmph, Hudhud is travelling in a west/northwest direction. Coastal areas of Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh remain under threat but predicting its exact landfall still remains precarious.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have already started experiencing clouding, which will gradually thicken to bring overcast skies. As reiterated by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, heavy showers will start lashing the states from October 10 and pick up as we approach landfall. Up to 500 km on either side of the landfall area, generally become vulnerable to intense weather activity.

Picture courtesy: PTI

Rain and snow in J&k, Himachal Pradesh sets pace for winter

jammu rain CroppedThe weather in parts of northwest India has changed to become pleasant as a Western Disturbance in Jammu and Kashmir travelled across Himachal Pradesh giving rain and snow in the region on 7th and 8th October. Snowfall was however, observed only in the higher reaches. Foothills of Punjab also received rain during this time and observed drop in temperatures.

On October 7, Srinagar, the state capital of Jammu and Kashmir observed 10.7 mm of rain, Rambagh 23 mm, Pahalgam 28 mm, Kulgam 26 mm, Anantnag 29 mm and Shopian 30 mm of rain.

In Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala received 21 mm of rain, Chamba 14 mm, Kullu 11 mm, Manali 9 mm, Shimla 1.2 mm and Una 30 mm of rain on October 7. Some good rain was also observed in Punjab on the same day. Pathankot recorded 33 mm of rain, while Ludhiana and Patiala witnessed 15 mm and 2 mm of rain respectively.

The spell of rain has helped in pulling down the maximum temperature in the region by 5-6 degrees, while the minimum has dropped by almost 4 degrees. The morning minimum in Srinagar settled at 9.8 degrees celcius on October 9 against 10.1 degrees celcius on October 8.

Similar drop in temperatures have been observed in Himachal Pradesh. Manali recorded 7 degree celcius as the maximum on October 9 against 9.2 the previous day. Chamba too saw the minimum drop to 11.5 degrees celcius on October 9 from 14 degrees celcius on October 8.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded 16.5 degrees celcius as the morning minimum on October 9 against 19.6 degrees celcius on October 8. The capital Chandigarh saw the minimum drop by almost 4 degrees to record 18.7 degrees celcius as the minimum temperature on October 9.

The impact of this weather system was also felt in Delhi as both maximum and minimum temperatures dropped marginally in the city. The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 35.2 degrees celcius as the maximum on Ocotber 8 against 36.6 degrees on October 7. The night temperature also dropped marginally to record 22.2 degrees celcius on October 9 against 24.9 degrees celcius on October 8.

The pleasant weather will last for another 48 hours after which cyclone Hudhud is likely to change the winds in the region to warm easterlies. Once the storm moves away we can expect temperatures to drop again. Probably we can have a pleasant Diwali with a flavour of chill in the night.

Picture courtesy: earlytimeplus

Cyclone Hudhud intensifies into severe cyclonic storm, AP & Odisha on alert

Cyclone HudhudAs predicted by Skymet, cyclone Hudhud has turned into a severe cyclonic storm and is likely to intensify further. It is currently centred around 13.7°N latitude and 89.2°E longitude, more than 800 km away from north Andhra and south Odisha coast near Long Island.

Punched with a speed of 90 kmph at the core and gusting at 110 kmph, Hudhud is travelling in a west/northwest direction. Coastal areas of Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh remain under threat but predicting its exact landfall still remains precarious. The storm could hit anywhere between Visakhapatnam in Andhra coast and Gopalpur in the neighbouring state of Odisha on the 12th morning.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have started experiencing clouding, which will gradually thicken to bring overcast skies. As reiterated by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, heavy showers will start lashing the states from October 10 and pick up as we approach landfall. Up to 500 km on either side of the landfall area, generally become vulnerable to intense weather activity.

The most damaging aspect of storms, squally winds, will start ravaging the coastal areas from the 11th. After landfall, the rain belt will gradually shift to cover Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh and extend up to east Uttar Pradesh.

Governmental authorities in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are on high alert with the cyclone bearing down on the coast, around the same time as cyclone Phailin battered Odisha. Just like last year, we pray that the state’s effective preparations will save countless lives.







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