There was no Black Pepper trading activity at Kochi spot market as there was no arrival. Markets of northIndiahave become active pushing up the demand. Spot prices at Kochi stayed steady at Rs 71500 (ungarbled) and Rs 73500 (garbled) per quintal. Export prices crossed $13,000 c&f for Europe and $13,250 a tonne c&f for US.
Green gram or Moong prices in Indore market declined by Rs 200 with Moong (best) being quoted at Rs 6800-7000, while Moong (medium) declined to Rs 6200-6500 per quintal. Moong may see periodic rise and fall in its prices depending upon its demand and supply but a rally appears unlikely with arrival of new summer crop.
Spot Turmeric prices at Erode increased due to arrival of quality Turmeric. Though the traders are having some upcountry demand, they purchased only the quality Turmeric at a higher price. At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association sales yard, the finger turmeric was sold at Rs 4619-7089; the root variety Rs 4299-6534 per quintal.
Indian Castor futures declined on profit booking by traders though spot prices gained marginally on stockists’ demand. Prices were Rs 750-760 for 20 kg atRajkotmandi ofGujarat. This year crop size is expected lower and as a result demand from stockists is strong. Spot castor may improve more in coming days as arrivals move down gradually.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, heat wave intensified further in Gangetic West Bengal which led to rise in day temperatures on Wednesday. Panagarh and Bankura were the hottest places in the country on Wednesday. Titlagarh continues to feature in the list along with Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Sultanpur and Allahabad were the hottest places in Uttar Pradesh.
| Places | State | Maximum temperature on Wednesday | Forecast trend for next 24 hours |
| Panagarh | West Bengal | 45.5°C | Drop |
| Bankura | West Bengal | 45°C | Drop |
| Titlagarh | Odisha | 44.8°C | Same |
| Shantiniketan | West Bengal | 44.7°C | Same |
| Sambalpur | Odisha | 44.5°C | Same |
| Asansol | West Bengal | 44.4°C | Same |
| Sultanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 44.2°C | Drop |
| Bhubaneswar | Odisha | 44.2°C | Drop |
| Wardha | Maharashtra | 44°C | Drop |
| Allahabad | Uttar Pradesh | 43.8°C | Same |
The latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India indicates that heat wave conditions will abate a little in Panagarh and Bankura on Friday. However, it may continue in Sambalpur.
Photograph by Jonoikobangali
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, day temperature in Kolkata will drop marginally and bring relief from heat wave like conditions in the city. Maximum temperature could rise in Delhi on Friday making the day a little uneasy. The weather in Mumbai will be less warm than Thursday as day temperature is likely to drop. In South India, Bangalore and Chennai will be humid and warm. There are possibilities of thunder development in both these cities. Hyderabad will be very hot.
| Cities | Maximum Temperature | Minimum Temperature | Conditions |
| Delhi | 40°C | 26°C | Pleasant morning hours will be good for jog or walk. Afternoon will be hot and uneasy. |
| Mumbai | 33°C | 26°C | Morning and evening hours will continue to be pleasant. Day time will be relatively less warm than Thursday. Sky will remain partly cloudy. |
| Kolkata | 39°C | 26°C | Heat wave will abate a little in Kolkata as maximum will drop. Sky will be partly cloudy. |
| Chennai | 38°C | 29°C | Thundery activitiy could take place in some parts of the city. An uneasy day with high humidity levels. Sky will be partly cloudy. |
| Bangalore | 34°C | 22°C | Morning will be pleasant but day time will be warm and humid. There are chances of thundery build up. |
| Hyderabad | 39°C | 26°C | A hot afternoon amid rising temperatures. Rain is not expected however, sky will remain partly cloudy. |
Photograph by Jeet221990
Gangetic plains over Bihar and West Bengal and Odisha in eastcentral India have been facing intense heat for the last one week due to continuation of westerly winds. But the weather system in the Bay of Bengal has come as a rescue to the people of the region.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the weather system would change the wind conditions in the region. Hot and dry westerly winds will make way for moist easterly winds which will gradually drop the maximum temperatures in these regions from Saturday onwards. By this time rain and thundershowers are also expected in these parts.
On Wednesday, day temperatures rose further in Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal. Kolkata was the only place where maximum dropped to 40°C on Wednesday after recording 41.5°C on Tuesday. The maximum temperature in Kolkata is still four notches higher than the normal. Other places like Bankura, Sriniketan, Asansol and Burdwan in West Bengal saw day temperatures settle five to eight degrees above average on Wednesday. Maximums in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Chapra and Bhagalpur in Bihar were four to six degrees above average.
Heat wave also continues in Odisha with Bhubaneswar recording above average maximum temperature on Wednesday, by seven degrees. Chandibali and Cuttack saw day temperatures settle five degrees above normal.
In North India, day temperature in Delhi dropped marginally on Wednesday to record 38.3°C. This was due to relatively cooler northwesterly winds. However, the prevalence of westerly winds will send the maximum soaring to 40°C during the next two days.
Southern parts of northwest plains like south Haryana, east Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh will observe temperatures rising and recording more than that in Punjab and north Haryana. A fresh Western Disturbance over Jammu & Kashmir and its associated cyclonic circulation over northwest plains from Saturday onwards could lead to dust storms or thunderstorms and pull down the day temperatures.
Pre-monsoon rain could intensify over northeastern states as the weather system in the Bay of Bengal will get closer to these parts during the next two days. A trough of low is extending from a cyclonic circulation in sub-Himalayan West Bengal to the centre of the weather system which will continue to send southwesterly winds to the region to bring rain and thundershowers.
Pre-monsoon rain in South India will also continue over Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh during the next two days. Friction of opposite winds (dry and moist) will cause these rains.
Noble but fetid, cultured but frantic, are few adjectives to describe Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. This city is an everyday festival of human existence. For Westerners, Kolkata might conjure up images of destitute condition and human suffering but it still remains the intellectual capital of the nation.
Kolkata relishes its feast of dramatic colonial architecture and an array of heroes including Nobel Prize winners- poet Rabindranath Tagore and film director Satyajit Ray and philosopher Ramakrishna. Situated on the riverbanks of Hooghly River, Kolkata is the most important academic, cultural and commercial hub of East India.
Kolkata is known for hot and sultry weather during summer in India but this year it recorded the highest maximum of a decade in the month of May. With maximum reaching 41.4°C at the Dum Dum Observatory on Tuesday, Kolkata surpassed its previous record of 41.2°C as maximum in May, 2009. The city has been reeling under heat wave conditions since a week as day temperature has been persistently above 40°C and about 5°C above normal average.
It has not rained for the last 10 days and the city received only 60 mm of rain till now as against the normal average of 137 mm for this month. According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, we can expect some rain next week but it is likely to remain deficit for May.
Kolkata seems friendlier than any other metropolitan cities of the country, especially to Jhal Muri and Puchka lovers. But considering the unbearable heat, it will definitely become a nightmare if rain does not come to rescue the people of the city.
picture courtesy- wikimedia
USA - The U.S. Geological Survey in Oklahoma on Wednesday recorded an earthquake of 2.5 magnitude at 7:49 am local time. The epicentre was about 4 miles north of Spencer in Oklahoma County. Just a day earlier Oklahoma was rattled by seven earthquakes, of which the largest was of 3.6 magnitude. During the past seven days, Oklahoma has recorded 29 earthquakes. Thanks to the adequate safety measures, no damage was reported.
Iran - A moderate (Magnitude 5.4 on the Richter Scale) earthquake hit Southern Iran on Wednesday, 21st May. The quake was felt in Bushehr and Shiraz area. Two fore shocks of magnitude 3.1 and 3.3, happened an hour earlier. Till now there is no report, but damage is expected as most of the buildings in rural areas of Iran, like parts of Bushehr province, are not earthquake resistant. The quake struck at 14:16 local time and at 09:46 GMT/UTC Time. An earthquake of similar magnitude hit Hormozgan province in January which had caused major damage, 1 person had died and 30 others were injured.
China - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Taiwan on Wednesday, 21st May, shaking buildings in the capital and injuring three schoolchildren. The quake struck at 8.21 am local time, with its epicentre 33.3 kilometres southwest of the eastern city of Hualien, at a depth of 18 kilometers. The quake, compounded by heavy rain for several days, also triggered landslides which disrupted traffic on four highways.
Australia – A magnitude 3 earthquake struck Gippsland yesterday morning. Geosciences Australia confirmed that the tremor occurred at 8.53 am and was centered in the Lake Wellington area about 30 km east of Sale. The quake could be felt 25 km from its epicenter. The State Emergency Service has not yet reported any damage to life and property. Seismologists say aftershocks were felt but they are likely to be less severe. Scientists from the University of Melbourne have previously marked Gippsland as an Australian earthquake hotspot.
Bangladesh – A moderate earthquake (5 on the Richter scale) was felt in Dhaka, Chittagong and several other parts of Bangladesh when people were preparing to go to bed. The Meteorological Department said the tremor was felt around 10:20 pm on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
India - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit the Bay of Bengal region on Wednesday night. The epicenter was 10 km below sea level, but there was no tsunami alert, confirmed officials from the Indian tsunami warning center in Hyderabad. The quake struck at 9:51 pm, about 275 km south east of the Paradip port in Odisha. Tremors were felt across Delhi/NCR, Chennai, Kolkata and Odisha. In Delhi, many residents said that aftershocks lasted for 40 seconds. Whereas in Odisha, because seventeen of the 30 districts, either fully or partly, fall in the Earthquake Vulnerable Zone III, saw some damage. About 50 people were also reported to be injured.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, two of the strongest earthquakes in India reported in recent times have been in Gujarat and Kashmir in 2001 and 2005 respectively. The Gujarat earthquake measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, while in Kashmir it was reported to be 7.5.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, weather conditions are conducive for further progress of the Southwest Monsoon over more parts of eastcentral and northeast Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours. Weathermen are now banking on a tropical weather system which lies as depression over eastcentral Bay of Bengal for the advancement of Monsoon as they believe that the movement of this weather system will largely dictate the Southwest Monsoon currents for the next two days.
Weathermen at Skymet are of the view that prior to the onset, such weather systems either in the Bay of Bengal or in the Arabian Sea help the cross equatorial flow to strengthen, after which the strong southwesterly winds sweep across Kerala coast, announcing the arrival of Monsoon.
The map in the article shows that after on time arrival, the eastern arm has made more progress than the western arm and has reached Myanmar early this year. The green line shows the actual Monsoon line which indicates that the eastern arm of Monsoon line has already entered Myanmar and is close to northeastern states, while the western arm has covered some parts of Southwest Bay of Bengal. The red-dotted Monsoon line in the map has been drawn by Skymet Meteorology Division in India.
Weathermen at Skymet Meteorology Division in India are keeping a close eye on the depression in eastcentral Bay of Bengal. They suggest that the weather system will further intensify to become a deep depression and will move towards Bangladesh and Myanmar coast in the next 24 hours. They are also of the view that if the weather system spends more time over the water body, far from land, it could take the shape of season's first low intensity tropical cyclone in the next 36 hours.
Climatology and some weather models are indicating that the weather system will move north-northeastwards towards Bangladesh and Myanmar. Skymet Meteorology Division in India cites a trough of low in westerlies in higher latitude as a reason for this movement. The west to east movement of the weather system in the higher latitude could pull the weather system in the Bay of Bengal in a north-northeastwards direction. The orientation of clouds in the Bay of Bengal is also north-northeastwards which again indicates that the weather system will move towards Bangladesh and Myanmar.
On the other hand, some numerical models are also claiming that the tropical weather system might travel towards Odisha and West Bengal in India. Skymet Meteorology Division in India says that if that happens then Monsoon currents could reach up to these region much before time. This movement of the weather system is based on dynamic atmospheric conditions. However, instances of a weather system in the Bay of Bengal moving toward India are remote during this time of the year. The weather system has been hovering in the Bay of Bengal for the last one week after emerging as a cyclonic circulation in north Andaman Sea.
The month of April and May are considered as a cyclone period but during Monsoon, weather systems emerging in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea usually remain as a depression or deep depression and do not develop into a mighty tropical storm. So according to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, this weather system will also be the last such weather system as Monsoon is just round the corner.
