Skymet weather

Threatening Telangana sub-division may turn benign

Rain-at-Charminar CroppedThe Telangana sub-division in southern peninsula may look forward to some relief from a lash of poor monsoon as moderate to heavy showers are expected in the approaching week.

The Monsoon rain in Telangana has been deficit from the onset of June, even higher than the country’s deficit.

The poor monsoon also escalated the woes of the farmers who were already reeling under the dire situation due to poor monsoon and pushed debts. The number of farmers’ suicides has already gone over 100 in Telangana alone.

Monsoon started on a poor note for the country and Telangana was also not fortunate. The state narrowly escaped being scanty, as rain is concerned, since it witnessed a cumulative rain deficit of 59% as against the country’s deficit of 43% for the June end.

This is because most of the monsoon systems that form in the Bay of Bengal and are responsible for giving rain in the country track northwestward across Indo gangetic plains, while few track towards central parts across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Telangana does not fall directly in the track of the system and therefore receives less rain sometimes.

Even though, in July, the advent of some good showers improved the situation to an extent, the monthly deficit still remained and settled for 40 percent.

Yet, Telangana could not stay deceived by these rain showers for long.  The situation was back to being grim in August. The state’s cumulative rain deficit again reached lower 50s, higher than the country’s cumulative rain deficit of 18% for the period of June – August.

According to Skymet Meteorological Division in India, situation could improve as it forecasts rainy days for Telangana in the coming week.

Contrasting to this year, the monsoon season last year was fairly better for Telangana as the sub-division had witnessed 26% of rain surplus for the monsoon period.

North India continues to sizzle, hills also go dry

summer heat The prolonged spell of dry and hot weather continues in North India. Several places in the region are experiencing temperatures akin to the pre-monsoon season. Even the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been observing above normal temperatures for many days.

Mussoorie in Uttarakhand recorded 24.7°C as the maximum temperature on Tuesday, which is 5 degrees above normal. Similarly, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh recorded 26.6°C as the maximum on Tuesday, which is 6 degrees above normal.

Down in the plains the weather conditions have been pathetic with some places recording maximums close to 40°C. The spell of dry weather till a few days back was confined to the Northwest plains but now it has extended up to Uttar Pradesh and covered almost the entire state.

Banda in Uttar Pradesh recorded 40.6°C as the maximum on Tuesday, which is a whopping 7 degrees above normal. Allahabad recorded 39°C as the maximum, 6 degrees above normal. Lucknow saw the maximum settle 5 degrees above normal at 38.1°C. Kanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Merut, Sultanpur and Varanasi also witnessed the day temperatures settle 5 degrees above normal. Till a few days back parts of Uttar Pradesh were facing flood like situation.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi continue to boil under high temperatures. Hisar in Haryana sizzled on Tuesday with maximum settling 5 degrees above normal at 40.5°C. It was the highest day temperature recorded in the city in last five years. Sirsa and Rohtak also recorded maximums of 40°C and 39°C respectively.

The scenario was almost the same in Rajasthan with the pink city Jaipur recording 38.5°C as the maximum, which is 6 degrees above normal and the highest in last five years. Ganganagar recorded 41.2°C as the maximum, 5 degrees above normal, while Churu settled 3 degrees above normal at 40°C.

Punjab was a shade better as some parts of the state are closer to the foothills. Patiala recorded 38.1°C as the maximum on Tuesday, which is 5 degrees above normal. Chandigarh recorded 37.5°C as the day temperature, which is four degrees above normal, while Ludhiana saw the maximum settle 4 degrees above normal at 37°C.

Weather Forecast for North India

Meanwhile, in next 24 hours we expect the east and central portion of the monsoon trough to shift southward due to which moist easterlies will blow in the region providing relief from the extensive spell of rain in the foothills and high temperatures in the plains. Uttar Pradesh would be the main state to observe relief in weather conditions.

Torrid heat may play a dampener for Delhi book lovers

book fair Cropped (1)If you are an avid book lover who wanted to step out to visit the nine day Delhi book fair but now wants to avoid doing it because of the torrid Delhi weather then you won’t be blamed. The fair began on Saturday and it is since then that Delhi temperatures have been on a record-breaking spree. Temperature is still 6 degrees above normal at 40.7oC and it does not appear to reduce anytime soon.

While Palam observed the highest temperature today, the maximum temperature for Safdarjung Observatory also recorded 39.1oC, breaking the ten year high of 38.2oC. Delhi has been observing some very hot and uncomfortable weather for the past many days. Due to absence of rain, the sweltering Delhi weather is becoming unbearable.

With temperature rising and maintaining its status above 40oC for most of the areas in Delhi, there appears to be no respite from the hot and humid weather till the end of August.
Maximum temperature as on 26th August, 2014:

Location Max. Temp.
  Hindon    40oC
  Ridge    40.4oC
  Najafgarh    40.2oC
  Palam    40.7oC
  Safdarjung    39.1oC
  Ayanagar    40.5oC
  Noida    39.2oC

 

August usually accounts for a normal temperature of 30-34oC with moderate rain showers. But this year with mercury rising and hot weather threat perception still maintained for the month, Delhiites might witness dull moments during the month.

Gear up for the Delhi Summer

  • Drink lots of fluids including fruit juices, coconut water and water to keep the heat at bay
  • Get those air conditioners working as without them you will end up sweating, profusely!
  • Give a nudge to that evening walk and stay indoors as the hot inclement weather is not getting any better in the evening as well.

 

West Rajasthan becomes deficit again, no improvement likely

Weather in RajasthanWest Rajasthan is the least rainfall pocket in the country, even lesser than the rain shadow Tamil Nadu. The average seasonal rainfall in Rajasthan is 263 mm, while Tamil Nadu observes 317 mm of rain.

The onset of Monsoon in Rajasthan is late (by end of June) and the withdrawal is early (starts from first week of September) therefore rainfall in this sub-division is less. June in any case had not been good for the entire country with the cumulative rainfall deficit of 43%. In fact this deficit continued almost till the mid of July after which some recovery was observed.

During this period the rainfall deficit in Rajasthan was even worse. By June end the rainfall deficit in this sub-division was 54%. It however, improved in July and ended up with a deficit of 8%. The cumulative deficit for June and July stood at 20%.

However, August began on a positive note for west Rajasthan. Some good rain in the first week pulled down the deficit by a huge margin, which almost beame normal. The deficit by the end of the week was only 1%. Thereafter, situation began to deteriorate due to lack of rain and the region became deficit again. Currently the rainfall deficit for West Rajasthan stands at 20%.

The withdrawal of Monson in India begins from West Rajasthan, from first week of September. And with high temperatures and no rain in sight the situation looks very similar to the withdrawal phase.

However, Skymet Meteorology Division in India believes that the retreat of Monsoon from the region might get delayed once the system in the Bay of Bengal begins to move forward.

South Interior Karnataka receives excess rain in August

Rain in BangaloreMeteorological study breaks Karnataka into three sub-divisions, namely Coastal Karnataka, South Interior Karnataka and North Interior Karnataka.

Performance of Monsoon in Coastal Karnataka differs greatly from the other two parts as this sub-division lies along the Western Ghats. South Interior Karnataka, in turn shares a large border with Coastal Karnataka, which receives good showers during Monsoon in India on account of its topography and proximity to the coastline. South Interior Karnataka, has therefore, always performed better than the northern part.

Till the first half of August, North Interior Karnataka had a deficiency of 26% while South Interior Karnataka witnessed normal rain with an excess of 15%.

Break Monsoon conditions favourable for rain in Peninsular India

Mid of August is most prone to breaks in Monsoon, when rainfall decreases sharply over most parts of the country but increases along the Himalayas, parts of Northeast India and Southern Peninsula. In Meteorological terminology, 'break' in the Monsoon comes when three or more consecutive days of rains are way below normal in the 'core Monsoon zone'.

Consequently, Monsoon went for a break around 16th of August this season. During the weak and break Monsoon conditions also, Monsoon systems have a tendency to appear in the lower latitudes in the Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The system improved the performance of Monsoon drastically over both the sub-division, wiping off deficiency in the northern parts. As of now, North Interior Karnataka faces a deficiency of just 10% but South Interior Karnataka is the first region of South India to have an excess of 21% rain, this month.

Chitradurga in South Interior Karnataka has received 133.5 mm of rain so far this month, leaving the monthly average of 88.1 mm far behind. On the other hand Gulbarga in North Interior Karnataka has not yet met the monthly average of 148.4 mm; the city has received only 51.1 mm of rain so far. This comparison substantiates that performance of Southwest Monsoon in South Interior Karnataka has generally been better than North Interior Karnataka.

picture courtesy- Mangalorean.com

Rain remains scattered in four metro cities

Major Cities Rainfall GFX003As the Monsoon month of August nears an end, the rain across Indian metropolitan cities stayed strikingly different. While the above-average rain added bright colours to the sunset sky of Chennai, it embraced the shades of sunbeam in Delhi leaving the city grapple with a high monthly deficit of over 50 percent. With good rains, Mumbai appears to inch towards monthly average leaving Kolkata with no significant rain showers.


Delhi
Beginning with the national capital, the Monsoon rain observes a shortfall of 52% as the actual rain settled for 120.5 mm as against the monthly average of 253.4 mm for August. Coupled with a high temperature of 40oC, the woes for Delhities do not seem to end. Though according to Skymet Meteorological division of India, there could be marginal decrease in the temperature tomorrow due to mild cloudiness observed today, the amount of rain will remain paltry in coming few days.

Chennai
With an unexpected heavy spell of rain showers, Chennai exceeds its monthly average of 140.4 mm. Tamil Nadu is a rain shadow area as less rain is observed in the region during the Southwest Monsoon season. Such spells of heavy rain are not very common in Chennai during this time. But this year Chennai recorded a monthly average of 186.6 mm which is expected to even grow further in the coming few days.
There has been only two occasions in the last ten years when over 100 mm of rain has been recorded in the city in 24 hours. On 25th August 2011 the city had witnessed the heaviest 24 hour spell by recording 156 mm of rain. The second spell of heavy rain 100 mm on 20th August 2008.

Mumbai
Due to heavy and moderate rain showers during the entire month, the city of dreams appears to inch towards its normal monthly average of 530 mm. It has received rain of 392 mm so far and occasional spell of rain or thundershowers will keep the situation normal in Mumbai.
August began on a very positive note for Mumbai. Till the 6th of August the city had observed 205 mm of rain, with 88 mm being observed on the first day of the month alone.

Kolkata
Even though August is the rainiest month of monsoon for Kolkata, the city is still gripped in the monsoon rain deficiency of 35%. With no significant rain occurrence, the metro city received rain of 228 mm as against the monthly average of 352.4 mm.

 

 

Break Monsoon condition leaves 12 states practically dry

Drought in IndiaJuly and August are the peaking months for Monsoon in India. However, there hasn’t been much rain during this period. And making matters worse is the fact that Monsoon has been on a break for almost a week now.

What is Break Monsoon

During break Monsoon rainfall goes missing for days from the core zone of North and Central India. Rainfall largely becomes confined to the foothills of the Himalayas extending up to Northeast India, which is why we have seen some good spells of rain in Northeast and the foothills of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in last few days.

In a span of 24 hours the Monsoon conditions have not changed in the country with rainfall shrinking further. While there have been some pockets in west coast and Sub Himalayan West Bengal where rainfall has been recorded over 100 mm, (Honavar 129 mm, Jalpaiguri 110 mm) other parts of the country have largely been dry.

The states of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, that amount to half of the total area of the country have become nearly dry.

Northwest is the worst hit and the deficit is only expected to increase in the coming days. In fact the hilly regions are also observing very dry weather. However there can be some isolated rain in the region in the next two days.

A system is building in the Bay of Bengal which is likely to give rain from the 27th across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, north coastal Andhra Pradesh going across Telangana, Rayalaseema, North Interior Karnataka across Maharashtra and Konkan and Goa coast in the next 2-3 days.

The proximity of this system may pull down the western end of the Monsoon trough resulting in some showers in Northwest India on the 28th and 29th of August.

 

Picture courtesy: thehindu.com

Chennai surpasses monthly average rainfall

chennai rainAfter remaining dry for almost ten days, Chennai finally observed some good rain. In a span of 24 hours from 8.30 am on Sunday, the city experienced 89.3 mm of heavy rain. This spell has taken the total rainfall figure to 186.6 mm against the monthly average of 140 mm. And with some more rain expected in the next two days this figure is likely to go up.

Such spells of heavy rain are not very common in Chennai during this time. There has been only two occasions in the last ten years when over 100 mm of rain has been recorded in the city in 24 hours. On 25th August 2011 the city had witnessed the heaviest 24 hour spell by recording 156 mm of rain. The second spell of heavy rain 100 mm on 20th August 2008.

Tamil Nadu is a rain shadow area as less rain is observed in the region during the Southwest Monsoon season. During the active Monsoon phase, rainfall in the region is not adequate as the Western Ghats block the flow of Monsoon air, giving all the rain to Kerala. On the contrary, we see enhanced rainfall activity along coastal Tamil Nadu during the weak Monsoon phase. This is because of the westerly winds getting weak and giving rise to sea breeze along the coast during afternoon and evening hours.

Also, during the weak and break Monsoon conditions, Monsoon systems have a tendency to appear in the lower latitudes in the Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The weather in Chennai is also governed by these factors. The highest amount of rain received in the month of August in last ten years in Chennai is 368.9 mm, recorded in 2011. The lowest has been 47.1 mm, observed in 2004.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE WEEK IN INDIA FROM 25TH TO 31ST AUGUST

Monsoon cloudsMonsoon trough is a big driver of rain in the northern plains during the Monsoon season. There are periods when the Monsoon trough shifts to the foothills of Himalayas, which leads to sharp decrease in rainfall over most parts of the country but increase along the Himalayas and parts of Northeast India and Southern Peninsula. Generally rain decreases over the west coast as well.

Going by the then prevailing conditions, Skymet Meteorology Division in India confirmed on the 21st of August that Monsoon had gone for a break. In Meteorological terminology, 'break' in the Monsoon comes when three or more consecutive days of rains are way below normal in the 'core Monsoon zone'.

The week gone-by week experienced break in Monsoon conditions. As reiterated by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Southwest Monsoon remained active over Northeast India. There was a general decrease in rainfall over major parts of the country including the west coast.

A fresh system developing in the Bay of Bengal could help in the revival of Monsoon by the end of this week.

A look at the weather forecast for this week.

North India:  

With the Monsoon trough lying closer to the foothills, the unprecedented dry spell over North India will continue, at least for first half of the week. Subdued activity likely to continue in the plains of North India till the 27th of August.  Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan could still observe 100% rainfall deficit on a daily basis. Even the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing similar weather conditions.

Rising temperatures over the plains could amount to heat wave like conditions with most of the places witnessing maximums 3 to 4⁰C above normal average. Pockets of Haryana and Rajasthan could record day temperatures as high as 40⁰C or even above.

The low pressure area over westcentral Bay could start affecting weather by the 28th of August and,

  • Firstly, be responsible for reviving Monsoon in India.
  • Secondly, it will also lead to a southward shift of the Monsoon trough line.
  • Thirdly, it will bring a change in the wind pattern and drop in temperatures over entire Uttar Pradesh and to some extent even Delhi.

A feeble Western Disturbance could bring some rain over the hilly states by the weekend.

Central India:

The system forming in the Bay of Bengal will take a southerly track and move across Odisha, south Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and finally dissipate after reaching Konkan and Goa. Therefore the weekend could see some productive rain over the area.

East & Northeast India:

Southwest Monsoon will remain active over Northeast India for the first half with isolated pockets of Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Meghalaya receiving heavy showers. But as rain increases over Central India by the weekend, intensity of rain will decrease over these parts.

South India:

Under the influence of the system, west coast inclusive of Mumbai could receive good showers. As the city is running short of the monthly average rainfall, it could meet the deficit by the end of the month.

Northwest India reels under intense heat, no rain in sight

Delhi weatherNorthwest India has been observing temperatures in the higher thirties since last many days. There has not been any significant rain anywhere in the region and the rainfall deficit has been above 90%, on a daily basis. In fact, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab have been observing a 100% rainfall deficit.

Skymet Meteorology Division in India in one of its recent articles on Northwest India had said temperatures have been on a rising spree in Delhi and the situation remains the same with maximums settling 5 to 6 degrees above normal. The Palam Observatory once again recorded 39.6oC as the maximum temperature on Monday, while the Safdargunj Observatory saw the maximum settle at 38.2oC. This was the fifth consecutive day of above normal temperatures in Delhi.

The adjoining state of Haryana is also witnessing similar weather conditions. Due to lack of any weather activity and rain maximums have been settling 4-5 degrees above normal. The maximum temperatures in Bhiwani and Hissar settle at 38oC and 39.8oC respectively on Monday. Rohtak and Sirsa also record maximums of 38.5oC and 39.1oC respectively.

The conditions in Punjab aren’t better either with Patiala recording 37oC as the maximum, which is 4 degrees above normal. Chandigarh and Amritsar are also experiencing maximums settle 2-3 degrees above normal at 36.4oC and 37oC respectively.

The situation is worse in Rajasthan, where the dry weather has forced the maximum temperatures to settle 5-7 degrees above normal. On Monday, Jaipur recorded 39.8oC as the maximum, which is 7 degrees above normal. Sikar too saw maximum settle 7 degrees above normal at 40.5oC.

Up in the hills the situation isn’t any better. The maximums in Shimla have been recording 3-4 degrees above normal for the last couple of days. The city recorded 25.2oC as the maximum on Monday, which is 4 degrees above normal. Nainital in Uttarakhand also saw the maximum settle 4 degrees above normal at 24.3oC.

Making matters worse, this condition (dry weather and high temperatures) has extended up to parts of Uttar Pradesh. Banda recorded 40.2oC as the maximum temperature on Monday, which is 6 degrees above normal. Lucknow and Kanpur recorded 37.5oC and 37.6 degree Celsius as the day temperatures respectively.

It is to be noted that July and August is the peak time for Monsoon rain in the region but the weather has been akin to pre-monsoon season.

According to the latest update by Skymet Meteorolgy Division in India, this unprecedented spell of dry weather in Northwest India is likely to continue for some more days. So, there isn’t any relief from this high temperatures and uncomfortable weather.

TOP TEN RAINIEST CITIES IN INDIA ON SATURDAY

Cherrapunji topped the list of rainiest major cities in India on Saturday with 298 mm of rain. According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, good showers will continue over Northeast India and the dry spell in Gujarat will come to an end; good showers likely in the state within next 48 hours.

Here’s a look at our list of top ten rainiest cities in India on Saturday:

City State Rainfall in millimeters (mm)
Cherrapunji Meghalaya 289mm
Passighat Arunachal Pradesh 141 mm
Jalpaiguri West Bengal 76 mm
Gangtok Sikkim 75 mm
Shillong Meghalaya 66 mm
Tinsukia Assam 56 mm
Indore Madhya Pradesh 55 mm
Tadong Sikkim 49 mm
Port Blair Andaman & Nicobar Island 47 mm
Kozhikode Kerala 44 mm

 

Break in Monsoon favourable for rain in East and Northeast India

Monsoon in IndiaDuring the Monsoon season, there are periods when the Monsoon trough shifts to the foothills of Himalayas, which leads to sharp decrease in rainfall over most parts of the country but increase along the Himalayas and parts of Northeast India and Southern Peninsula.

Monsoon in India then takes a break with mid of August being  moreprone to ‘breaks’ and that too longer breaks. Consequently, Northeast and parts of South India continue to receive good showers while rest of the country is mainly dry.

Weather in North India

The axis of Monsoon trough continues to run closer to the foothills of the Himalayas. Northwest India is facing a grim situation in terms of Monsoon rain. The region is observing an unprecedented spell of dry weather for almost ten days. More alarming is the fact that Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are observing 100% rainfall deficit on a daily basis.

Delhi has been experiencing record breaking temperatures since the last couple of days. The Palam Observatory recorded 39.6°C as the maximum on Saturday, which is the second highest temperature observed in Delhi in the last ten years. The highest in the month of August in a decade has been 40.1°C, recorded on 11th August, 2009.

On Friday as well, the temperature had settle at 39.6°C. The city has not observed a drop of rain in almost two weeks, making it the longest spell of dry weather in August.

Even the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing similar weather conditions. However, the upper air cyclonic circulation over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu & Kashmir could bring some light rain, if at all, over the states of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Weather in East and Northeast India

The prevailing break monsoon condition is favourable for some good rain in East and Northeast India, particularly along the foothills. Sikkim and Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Northeast will receive scattered rain during next 24 hours. West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and extreme northeast Bihar could receive light rain as well.

Weather in Central India

Central India will remain almost dry, except for Gujarat, Marathwada and Madhya Maharashtra. As reiterated by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the well-marked low pressure area over eastcentral Arabian sea and adjoining areas of Maharashtra is expected to bring a sigh of relief for the people of Gujarat, observing dry weather for almost a week now.

Weather in South India

Mainly light rain will continue over entire peninsular India, particularly Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, parts of Tamil Nadu and north Kerala.







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