Skymet weather

Little rain in metropolitan cities this weekend; heavy rain to continue in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar

As predicted, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar witnessed heavy to very heavy rain in the last 24hours with Allahabad recording the highest rain at 126mm. Rain will continue to be heavy as the low pressure system will stay for another 48hours. Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Patna recorded 44mm, 62mm and 26mm of rain respectively. “Gorakhpur could receive very heavy rain today as the current system is very strong”, says Mahesh Palawat, head of the forecasting team at Skymet. “The low pressure system is stagnant and is showing no signs of moving. If it does, it may be very slow and weaker in strength by the time it reaches northeast India.

Weather models show that other than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, rain is also expected to increase and become heavy in Sikkim and Sub Himalayan west Bengal in the next 72hours.

Meanwhile, the weekend looks dismal in terms of rain in all the major metropolitans of India. But there may be good amount of rainfall in north and central India and west coast of peninsular India in the first week of July. Here’s a look at the weather in the cosmopolitan cities:

Delhi- After a long dry spell, the capital saw skies turning cloudy with occasional showers at one or two places yesterday. The weekend will also see some light rain, mainly towards the afternoon.

Mumbai- No forecast for heavy rain this weekend in Mumbai city. Rain will be light and widespread. Chances are that the rain may become moderate at times. Winds will become weak on Sunday and high humidity will be a major concern.

Kolkata- Moderate showers lashed Kolkata in the last 48 hours, after which rain became light in the city. It will continue to be light on Saturday but Sunday may record some moderate showers of up to 30mm.

Bangalore- The concern of very little rain in the city may change now as 2 mm of rain is expected on Saturday which may increase a little and record around 7 to 9mm. Strong winds will make the early morning and evening nippy.

Chennai- The rain shadow area is not far behind. Spot rain of 23mm occurred in Chennai in the last few hours. Rain will continue in entire Tamil Nadu over the weekend. Temperatures will drop by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.

Hyderabad- In the last few days there has been no rain in Hyderabad and the weather here is expected to remain dry since no system seems to be affecting the state of Andhra Pradesh. Light thunder showers will not change the weather much.

Bhopal- The city has faced the wrath of heavy rains in the last 3 to 4 days but now as the low pressure system has moved northwards, the weather will be mainly dry across Madhya Pradesh and temperatures will start rising gradually.

Patna – This is one of the only cities that may receive moderate to heavy showers over the weekend due to a low pressure system.

Lastly, the weather may also change in northeast India as rains are expected to pick up in upper Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Dibrugar, Lakhimpur and Guwahati in the last 24 hours have recorded 17mm, 29mm and 1mm of rain respectively. Arunachal may still have little or no rain.

 

Experiencing monsoon mood swings?

Are you getting mood swings too often in the rains? Is the dim weather making you feel dull? Blame it on the rains. Winter blues are old, monsoon blues are the new thing now! However, experts believe the SAD (seasonal affective disorder) syndrome is more restricted to the sluggish winter season.

Psychiatrists in Mumbai admit that cases of mood swings and depression are not uncommon in the city during the monsoon. While in the West, SAD is prevalent in winter when the sun is usually in hiding, mood swings because of weather have their share in the monsoon season.

While a bright sunny day may make you feel energetic if not too cheerful, the monsoon means the body clock changes and you feel like sleeping a lot. You also indulge in over eating or sometimes completely lose appetite.

“I had to travel to Mumbai in the monsoon season for an office project for three days. The continuous rains in the city had begun to make me so lethargic. The moronic weather of grey skies and rains all day made me crave for sunlight so badly. The constant drizzle was annoying”, talks a Delhi based IT professional.

A study published in a journal called Emotion investigated has revealed that a particular weather could indeed bring changes in the mood of people and also that ‘weather reactivity’ may run in the family.

But don’t worry; here are a number of things like listening to music, watching movies, eating a balanced diet and doing yoga or aerobics that will help keep your spirits high.

Rains expected over north east Madhya Pradesh, UP

Widespread rains with heavy spells at a few places would occur over north east Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. North Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast will also get rains at many places. Rain is possible at a few places over Orissa. Heavy rain is possible at one or two places over these states.

Rain over west coast of the country will continue but Kerala coast will get subdued rains due to weakening of surge over the area. Rain will reduce in Mumbai and the city will receive light to moderate showers for next two days.

Delhi and NCR including east Haryana and east Punjab will get scattered rain or thunder showers.  Rajasthan, west Punjab and west Haryana will remain dry and hot. Subdued rains are also likely over interior parts of south India.

Isolated rain is expected over rest parts of the country.

Photo by Sachinkale

 

Mumbai escapes monsoon fury; the low pressure system to now lash Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

Latest developments in the weather indicate possibility of heavy rain in east U.P and Bihar in next 24hours. The low pressure area which was supposed to hit Mumbai, giving heavy rain there, has now taken a curve towards central India. The system is currently at north M.P and adjoining south Uttar Pradesh, around Khajuraho and may move northwards into the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh and west Bihar by Friday night. Heavy rain of up to 100mm and strong winds at a speed of 50kmph may throw life out of gear.

“There are possibilities that the system may reach northeast India but by the time it does, it may lose its strength”, informs Mahesh Palawat, Head of the weather forecasting team at Skymet Weather.

The foothills of Uttar Pradesh, some parts of west and east U.P and Bihar have already been receiving moderate spells with heavy rain in some pockets. “We had earlier informed you about very heavy rain i.e. 194mm in Bareilly yesterday. This was the heaviest rainfall Uttar Pradesh ever received in the last ten years” says Palawat.

Allahabad - 40mm, Lucknow – 7mm, Gorakhpur – 6mm, Patna – 22mm and Gaya – 30mm were other places among others in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to receive rain yesterday.

Besides, this monsoon surge has already shown its effect in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where heavy rain was recorded at many places. Bhopal got drenched in 108mm of rain and Surat recorded 66mm of rainfall. The intensity of rain will now reduce over central India. It could be below 20mm.

It was anticipated that the monsoon surge may give heavy rain of approximately 100mm in Mumbai but now the city may only get 20 to 30mm of rain for the next two days. “Yes we were expecting it to flood Mumbai city and then move towards south Gujarat and southeast Rajasthan but fortunately or unfortunately it did not. But this is nothing unusual. It often happens that the system may suddenly turn to an unexpected region. But wherever it may turn towards, it brings heavy rain and flooding. Figures are a proof’, adds Mahesh Palawat.

Skies will be mainly overcast for the next 24 to 36 hours in east U.P and Bihar. The maximum temperatures which were in the range of 31 to 35 degree Celsius will now plummet to 29 degree Celsius or even further than that. Patna and Gorahkpur may not record temperatures beyond 29 degree Celsius tomorrow.

 

What to do in a landslide

Landslides are a part and parcel of monsoon season in India. Every year landslides in north India or northeast India claims thousands of lives. Tourists, who travel to hilly areas in the rains, are often in fear of being stranded in a landslide but even then little is known or done in regards to educating and creating awareness about what to do during a landslide. The 800 plus death toll in Uttarakhand with thousands stranded due to severe flooding and landslides points towards our lack of interest in weather related news. However, here’s what you can do to avoid being stuck in a landslide.

- Landslides always occur where they have before. Ask for information on landslides in your area or the area that you are travelling to beforehand. Always research a little on the area you are moving to. Internet, the hotel staff, local government manuals and builders and renters are the source to derive this information.

- For locals, specific information on areas vulnerable to landslides should be shared among all. You may even request a professional referral for an appropriate hazard assessment of your area, property, and corrective measures you could take, if necessary.

- Perceive landslide warnings. This may include progressively leaning trees, new cracks that may have appeared in foundations.

- Collapsed pavement, mud, fallen rocks are some signs that can be seen on the roads while driving. Embankments along roadsides are particularly susceptible to landslides. Also, driving during a hazardous storm or during heavy rain can be dangerous, therefore stay put where you are.

- If you are near a stream or channel, be alert for any sudden increase or decrease in water flow or for a change from clear to muddy water in the river.

- If you are sure a landslide is nearing, Evacuate! Getting out of the landslide region is the best protection.

- Stay away from the slide area. One landslide may be followed by another one.

- This one’s a must on the list: Be prepared, create a plan for you and your family, just like a fire drill. Keep an emergency kit in your household. Create a meeting place. And if you have small children it is always a good idea to practice what to do.

- Help families around you to follow the same practices. Societies need to be informed and educated on the subject together. This is important so that people help each other in case of a calamity or bad weather.

- Be glued to your local weather channel for current updates on weather. Skymet weather gives latest news on weather changes around you. If the information is area specific, Skymet can also customize weather alerts as per the needs of the local government, farmers, civilians and other local bodies.

 

Uttarakhand tourism sector hit hard, Rs 12K cr loss estimated

The devastation caused by floods is going to severely batter the economy of Uttarakhand. According to an estimate, the destruction caused by floods may cost the state tourism industry a loss of Rs 12,000 crore.

Tourism being the main stay of Uttarakhand contributes heavily to the state exchequer. The state government was expecting to generate Rs 25, 000 crore through tourism in 2013-2014 but after the destruction, it is hoping to realize only Rs 5,000-6,000 crore as important tourist destinations have been washed away in the floods. In fact, the cost of rebuilding the damaged tourist destinations will put further burden on the economy of the state.

Meanwhile, the US has announced $150,000 (around Rs 90 lakh) to non-governmental organizations to carry out relief work in flood ravaged Uttarakhand.

Photo by Veethi.

Temperatures to scale down in Delhi, NCR

Widespread rains with one or two heavy spells are expected at few places over east and north Madhya Pradesh and also over south UP in next 48 hours.

North Chhattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh in north east will also get heavy rains at many places. Rain over west coast of the country will continue. Mumbai will receive moderate to heavy showers for at least next two days with chances of 90 to 100mm of rain.

Ongoing heavy rain over Vidharbha will reduce by tomorrow afternoon.

Delhi and NCR including parts of Haryana and north east Punjab will get scattered rain or thunder showers.  This will bring down temperatures over these areas.

Rajasthan, west Punjab and west Haryana will be dry and hot. Subdued rains are also likely over interior parts of south India.

Rains cause sharp fall in temperatures across India

After a scorching summer and record breaking high temperatures, it’s monsoon’s turn to do its work. Continuous and excess monsoon rain has dropped temperatures tremendously and brought them 6 to 8 degrees below normal in many parts of the country.

“The cool weather in the hill stations of north India may attract a lot of tourists this monsoon. The temperatures in Dharamshala, Shimla and Nainital will be in the range of 23 to 27 degree Celsius on an average, which can be a little cold. Though one must be careful about landslides that happen here during the monsoons, shares a senior weatherman at Skymet Weather.

The arid land of Rajasthan which holds a permanent reputation of scanty rains and very high temperatures is also getting a taste of good monsoon. After 63mm of rain in Jaipur in the last 24hours, temperatures will now be around 34⁰C. Udaipur which has been receiving light to moderate rain in the last one week is already at 35⁰C.

Weather in central India too is very pleasant. Heavy rain, i.e. 187mm and 90mm in Indore and Nagpur in the last 24hrs has made the maximum and minimum temperature fall by 9 to 10 degree Celsius. Indore is currently very cool at 26⁰C and will continue to remain so for days to come. Heavy to moderate rain will continue over entire Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada and Vidharbha region for at least next 4 to 5 days.

Unusual heavy rain of 194mm at Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh led to a dramatic drop of 9degrees in the maximum temperature and 4 degrees in the minimum temperature. Bareily is 27⁰C at present. Maximum temperature is expected to rise by a degree or two but it will still be way lower than the normal figure of 36⁰C.

On the other hand, temperatures in major cities of India, namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata are currently 2 to 3 degree celsius below normal due to rain and a cloud cover which is expected to persist. Maximum and minimum temperatures may drop further this week.

Hyderabad is 5 degrees below the normal figure of 33⁰C. Temperatures may rise a little here but people will still enjoy cool and pleasant days. Hyderabad touches 45⁰C in the summer months.

“Rain pattern will affect temperatures across the country. Last week was hot in most parts of India. But this week has been way cooler than our expectations, mainly because of spot heavy rains. The coming week however will be less cool except in east and northeast India, where the monsoon rains may become active”, says Mahesh Palawat, Head of the weather forecasting team at Skymet Weather.

Monsoon season is no more considered as a lull period for tourist activities in India. The rains and the low temperatures are today eagerly awaited by families looking to head out for a tourist destination and take a break from the fast paced city life.

Hemkunt Sahib Shrine closed for season

With devastation in pilgrimage towns of Kedarnath and Badrinath, another holy shrine to bear the brunt of nature’s fury is Hemkunt Sahib. Over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims were stuck in Hemkunt Sahib when calamity hit the state of Uttarakhand. However, all pilgrims who were stuck for the past many days in Chamoli where the shrine is located have been successfully evacuated.

But the shrine will remain closed due to the damage caused by landslides and floods on way to the Gurudwara. It may not be opened for pilgrims even in the next season. According to reports Hemkunt Shrine has not been damaged but Gurudwara Gobind Ghat on way to Hemkunt Sahib has suffered severe damage.

It is for the first time in 50 years that the shrine has been shut in between the season since 1960s when the first pilgrimage started for the shrine. Hemkunt Sahib is thrown open for pilgrimage for four months every year beginning June1-October 5.

Heavy rains expected in Mumbai, coastal Maharashtra in next 48 hrs

“A strong monsoon surge may cause heavy rain along the entire Maharashtra coast till Friday. Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, Raigarh and some parts of Konkan and Goa could receive heavy downpour. Mumbai and Goa could receive up to 100mm of rain in the next 48 hours”, confirms Mahesh Palawat, Forecasting Head at Skymet Weather.

This year monsoon has been more than active in Maharashtra. Records show, rainfall along the Konkan, Goa and Maharashtra coast are already in excess by about 142%. Therefore, more spells in the near future will add up to the excess rainfall figures. While on the other hand, Mumbai has already seen three days of more than 100mm of rain.

 

June 9th- 181mm of rain

June 14th- 101mm

June 16th- 161mm.

This week too, the rain figures in Mumbai may get drenched and could cross the 100mm mark, leading to waterlogging and overflowing of manholes and drains. Heavy vehicles could break down on the roads and poor visibility will make bike riders rely on their headlights even during the day hours. Here’s the amount of rainfall expected in Mumbai this week.

Wednesday, June 26th- 80mm

Thursday, June 27th- 100mm

Friday, June 28th-60mm

Sat & Sun – up to 40mm of rain

“Goa could receive 40 to 50mm of rain, Ratnagiri could be close to 100mm and Raigarh may get 70 to 80mm of rain this week, informs another senior weather forecaster at Skymet.

“As the surge will weaken, rainfall will reduce significantly in Mumbai over the weekend but will still be up to 40mm in many places”, adds Palawat.

“Weather of Maharashtra and rain in Mumbai is one of the major topics of study and research at Skymet. Our focus is to analyze the weather models and accurately predict the rain for Mumbai so people could plan well before they step out of their houses. “Be weather wise” is our motto, talks Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet Weather.

The month of June will end on a good note and rain may again become heavy to very heavy from 3rd July onwards putting the city into a deluge.

For specific info on rain in Mumbai, log on to http://www.mumbairain.com/home

 

 

127 more bodies recovered from Kedarnath, Death toll mounts to 822

Rescue operations that were hampered due to rain and fog on Tuesday morning have resumed in calamity –hit Uttarakhand where the death toll has mounted to 822 with 127 more bodies being recovered from the pilgrimage town of Kedarnath. Security forces have begun cremating decaying corpses lying in the shrine premises so that it does not lead to an outbreak of disease.

Meanwhile, Air Force helicopters have begun sorties to evacuate over 9,000 pilgrims stranded in the state. The focus of rescue operations has now shifted to Badrinath and Harsil where over 1,200 people are believed trapped. The national highway that connects Badrinath to Delhi and Rishikesh has been blocked at several places due to landslide and is hampering rescue efforts.

Special commandos-Garud of the Air force has also been pressed into action in Jungle Chhatti area of Yamunotri, considered to be one of the toughest terrains. Here about 50 people have been said to be trapped. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs are also being used to help scan thick forest areas and locate any people who are stranded.

Meanwhile the Supreme Court today asked the state government to step up rescue operations and evacuate people stranded due to devastation caused by torrential rains. The Apexc court gave the orders while hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer Ajay Bansal.

Adhering to the orders, the Centre and state government have filed Action Taken Report (ATR) in which they have said that all possible efforts are being made by them to rescue stranded people.

Cooling properties of silver

Remember your grandma telling you to avoid wearing heavy gold jewelry and wear silver jewelry instead in the summers and rather wear it during the monsoon or the winter season? Well she probably said so because gold is expected to have heating properties and therefore it isn’t fully fit for the hotter months and thus, she was right!

- According to Ayurveda metals like silver and copper have cooling properties which directly affect our nervous system.  Energetically, nervous diseases are believed to be directly connected to phases of the Moon (Chandra), and therefore Silver (Chandi) can be used as medicine because it is known to have a very calming, sedative and soothing effect on the nerves. Metals such as silver are specially purified and prepared into an ash-like powdery substance called Bhasmas.  After purification, what remains are highly potent elixirs that can be used to heal the body and mind. Reduced silver or ‘Roupya Bhasma’ is very effective in treating disorders of the nervous system such as neuritis, neuralgia, epilepsy, peripheral nerve damage, insanity, etc.

- In the long hot days of summer, silver can be especially helpful in alleviating high Pitta(an element that governs the digestive system in the body). Silver has natural cooling properties and can relieve excessive heat symptoms such as fever, heartburn, inflammation, and profuse menstrual bleeding. Ayurveda doctors advise preparing ‘silver water’ at home for the summer heat related problems and drinking it therapeutically. Simply place some pure silver coins or jewelry in 2 cups of water, and boil it down to 1 cup, and then consume 1 teaspoon of this water thrice in a day. Many even use this silver water as a cool summer beverage.

- One can also use pure silver tongue scrappers which give off ions that kill the bacteria on the tongue which can cause bad breath. No wonder silver tinctures are well known and widely used for its antiseptic and disinfectant actions by doctors worldwide. For the same reason, major companies that produce wound care products are starting to introduce innovative dressings that combine the anti-microbial properties of silver.

- Ayurvedic texts have also touted silver for its anti-aging qualities, as well for the fact that it gives a fairer complexion. Now you know why expensive spa treatments and beauty therapies and many holisitc facials and masks use silver mesh directly on the skin to reduce puffiness, redness and inflammation.

- Silver is also used in foods. Traditional Indian mithai is always served with a thin layer of real silver leaf or Varak garnish on the barfi for aesthetic as well as medicinal reasons.

- In the end, how can we forget the evergreen, cooling yet funky silver jewelry. Wear beautiful silver jewelry that glistens in the moonlight. Massive along with chunky beaded silver necklaces continue to be the summertime trend. If you do not like big and bold, keep it simple with delicate stackable rings, skinny bangle bracelets and thin necklaces or silver chains.

Silver is definitely of great value at the moment. Plus, now there are lots of beautiful silver gemstone jewelry designs in the market to choose from. And if you do not want to step out in the heat or the rains, you can simply order silver jewelry online on at infibeam or silverstarjewellery.com and other alike.

 







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