Skymet weather

Rain likely to affect rescue work in landslide hit Badakhshan, Afghanistan

According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the rescue work in a landslide hit village of Badakhshan province of northwest Afghanistan is likely to get affected on Monday and Tuesday due to a Western Disturbance which will cause another spell of heavy rain in the region.

The latest weather update however, indicates that the weather will become much better on Tuesday compared to Monday but rescue workers have to be on their toes as another Western Disturbance is likely to  bring lots of rain on Thursday.

More than 2000 people have died in the twin landslides on Friday. According to the provincial governor of Badakhshan Shah Waliullah Adeeb, in the first incident, 300 to 400 homes were swallowed in the village where an estimated 2,700 people lived. When as many as 600 people from a nearby village came to help dig people out, another landslide swept through, burying most, if not all, of the rescuers.

Sunday was the national mourning day in Afghanistan  and now efforts are focused on about 4,000 survivors and evacuees. United Nations humanitarian groups are rounding up food, water and medical supplies. A NATO team is sending a C-130 transport plane from Kabul airport with supplies, including tents and blankets, officials say.

Avalanches, floods and landslides are a painfully common feature of Afghan life, especially in the north, though the scale of the disaster in Badakhshan pipped all the natural calamities that have hit the country in the recent past.

Earthquake measuring 6 on Richter scale shakes up Japan, several injured

A strong quake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale shook up the capital city of Tokyo in Japan early Monday morning. Unlike the quake in Chile and Mexico, this quake did not raise any alarm of a tsunami though, 17 people were slightly injured, as they stumbled while trying to take cover.

The quake, which struck at about 5:18 a.m., measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0, revising it upwards from 5.8. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the focus is about 162 kilometers below the seafloor off Izu Oshima Island.

Experts said, the tremors were felt more strongly in the center of the Japanese capital than in surrounding regions due to the complex way the seismic waves travelled underground along tectonic and fault lines. The Japan Meteorological Agency said moderate aftershocks could possibly be felt for the next few days.

No major damage has been reported, although there have been some disruptions in public transport systems. The earthquake was the strongest seismic intensity level measured in central Tokyo since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Prior to this, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale was reported off Kyushu in southern Japan on the 13th of March. According to media reports several people were injured and water pipe burst in the city.

Japan's Islands have a long history of earthquakes and seismic activities as it is located near major tectonic plate boundaries and is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire. In March 2011, about 18,000 people had died when a 9.0 magnitude sub-sea earthquake sent a towering tsunami barreling into Japan's northeast coast.

Earthquake in India

Two of the strongest earthquakes in India reported in history 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

 

Kal Baisakhi showers wreak havoc in Bangladesh; West Bengal receives widespread rain

Nor'westers or short-lived thunderstorms - locally known as Kal Baisakhi in Bangladesh - since the 29th of April, have wreaked havoc in the country, leaving 14 people dead and injuring 85 in four districts. As the Kal Baisakhi storm hit Galachipa area, a ferry capsized in the river in Patuakhali district, claiming the lives of 13 more people.

Nearly a dozen people managed to swim ashore while the fire service, police and local residents launched a campaign with boats in search of the missing. According to media reports, at least 25 passengers are still missing.

Homes, crops, shops and trees were destroyed and vast areas in several districts were left without power. Violent winds of over 80 kmph in Sirajganj reportedly derailed nine out of 12 carriages of Drutojan Express, which runs between Dhaka and  Dinajpur, at the west end of Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge.

Trouble for Bangladesh doesn’t seem to end as rain continues to occur in the country. In the last 24 hours, places like Sylhet and Srimangal recorded 45 mm and 41 mm of rain respectively.

Rain in West Bengal

According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorological Division in India, rain is expected to continue in Bangladesh as well as in adjoining regions of West Bengal in India for another 48 hours. This is because of a strong weather system called cyclonic circulation, present near Bihar, which is feeding moisture laden southwesterly winds to Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal.

Kal Baisakhi showers have been occurring in West Bengal for the last 48 to 72 hours, with many cities like Jalpaiguri, and Kailshahar receiving moderate rain. Cooch Behar in West Bengal recorded unusual heavy rain of 135 mm in a span of 24 hours, on the 3rd of May. The weather in Kolkata also turned rainy as the city recorded 15 mm of rain on the 4th of May.

“We are closely following the development of the weather system which is likely to give more rain in Bangladesh and West Bengal and along the foothills of Bihar, Sikkim and Northeast India. We have therefore, issued a weather alert for rain in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, Murshidabad districts of WestBengal, with strong winds of 50 kmph, gusting at 80 kmph at times, during the next 2 to 6 hrs”, says G.P Sharma of Skymet Meteorological Division.

Kal Baisakhi showers in Bangladesh and West Bengal are most common during April to June, sometimes in March too. Therefore most of these accidents occur during the storm season between April and May.

Photo by dailystar.

Pre-monsoon rain continues in South India; showers to reduce in North India

According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the extreme southern peninsular region of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is going to witness isolated heavy pre-monsoon rain during the next two days. There is also forecast of good showers across the region. After two days, the rain belt may shift northward to cover more parts of South India including south interior Karnataka, Rayalaseem and Tamil Nadu.

A cyclonic circulation lies south of Comorin area in the Indian Ocean and is approaching the coast. According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the weather system will move towards the Tamil Nadu coast during the next 48 hours, so the pre-monsoon rain which is being witnessed for the last couple of days, will continue. A trough ( region of intensified moist winds) extending from Comorin to interior peninsula will continue to give rain in these parts during the period.

The weather in North India over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is also expected to prevail as the Western Disturbance will cause another rainy and cloudy day over several places in these states. Some parts of northwest plains especially those in close proximity with the hills will also receive rain during the next 24 hours. Some of the areas in plains could also experience dust storms.

Pre-monsoon rain will also continue in northeastern states as the region is observing two cyclonic circulations, one over over Bangladesh and another over sub-Himalayan West Bengal. These weather systems have been able to keep the weather rainy as winds are southwesterly and filled with enough moisture to bring rain.

Temperatures in Delhi to sustain; dust storm remains a possibility

The weather in Delhi will sustain the average levels of temperatures for the next two days. According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, winds in Delhi will continue to remain southwesterly due to a cyclonic circulation, which will cause thunderstorms or dust storms in northwest plains. This will keep a tab on the temperatures and not let them rise like last week when residents witnessed the first hottest spell of the season.

On Sunday, the maximum temperature remained almost near normal and recorded 39.7°C. However, it will again rise marginally and stay close to 40°C for the next two days. The following table shows that the day temperatures in Delhi have come down to normal, after remaining above normal during the first two days of May.

Days Maximum temperature
Wednesday 42.1°C
Thursday 42.8°C
Friday 41.7°C
Saturday 38.6°C
Sunday 39.7°C

However, the minimum temperature that settled at 26°C on Monday, will continue to hover in mid twenties, according to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division. The table shows that morning temperatures have refused to scale down below 24°C for the last five days

Days Minimum temperature
Thursday 24.2°C
Friday 26.2°C
Saturday 26,4°C
Sunday 24.5°C
Monday 26°C

 

 

Photograph by Ekabhishek

Wheat| A steady demand coupled with ample availability pulled Wheat prices.

A steady demand coupled with ample availability pulled Wheat prices marginally down in major markets inNorth India. After witnessing a steady trend over the last few days, Wheat grain dropped marginally, while flour managed to rule at previous level. Despite a down trend in Wheat, flour ruled flat at Rs 1725 per quintal.

Black Pepper| Black Pepper prices were recovered on supply squeeze amid good demand.

Black Pepper prices were recovered on supply squeeze amid good demand. In Karnataka Black Pepper selling at Rs 660-670 per kilograms (kg) has raised prices to Rs 690-710 per kg. Indian export prices increased along with strengthening of the rupee against the dollar to $11,750 a tonne c&f for the Europe and $12,000 c&f for theUnited States.







latest news