Skymet weather

Monsoon fury in Uttarakhand, toll touches 102

Incessant rains, flash floods have caused massive destruction in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand with death toll touching 102. The worst hit is the holy town of Kedarnath. According to reports, around 50 bodies are lying in the areas adjacent to the shrine whereas many more are feared to be buried under the debris. This figure is expected to rise once the water recedes and rescue teams are pressed into action.

Aerial pictures show massive devastation in Kedarnath with the town being submerged in mud and slush. Heavy rains have also damaged a portion of the shrine compound though there have been no reports of damage to the Temple.  About 500 people, including several pilgrims, are said to be missing around the temple area. However, some other reports put the number at 6000.

Over 70,000 pilgrims headed for the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have been stranded in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi with the char dham yatra being suspended due to landslides and floods.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Uttarakhand has reached 102 with Rudraprayag district being the worst affected. 20 people have died in the district alone. Several buildings situated along the banks of river Alaknanda in Rudraprayag have been swept away by its swirling waters.

 

Photograph by EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

Try some fried food in the rains

What’s the fun if you didn’t chomp away on hot samosas, pyaaz, mirchi pakodas, spicy bhajiyas, vadapaav, momos and sipped steaming cups of adark waali chai in the monsoon season in India?

The rainy season is incomplete without these fried munchies and for most street chat and fried food sellers the rains are a time of maximum sales. But in case you are too lazy or too health conscious to eat these lip smacking, fried street foods try some homemade recipes.

“Monsoons also bring their share of hygiene and digestive problems. Choosing the right ingredients and preparing snacks and sauces at home could be one way to overcome this problem”, says food blogger Namita Seth. “Incorporating natural spices and ingredients such as ginger, garlic, black pepper or chillies that boost immunity and aid digestion should be used in the monsoon season to beat indigestion blues”, she adds.

Here are a few simple homemade piping hot and crispy treats you could try with some tulsi or masala chai.

BhelPuri – Crunchy, munchy, spicy, tangy and the mouthwatering bhelpuri is the most famous and easy to make snack, preferred in every part of country. You can make a bowl full of bhelpuri for the entire family with just two three cups of puffed rice or murmure (roasted or slightly fried), 1 cup of sev, a cup of onions and tomatoes, lemon juice and fresh coriander for garnishing. Just mix all the ingredients and green pudina chutney and sweet tamarind chutney, chopped green chillies and garlic to taste and your bhelpuri is ready within 5mins.

Bhutta Kebabs – Ever tried your favorite bhutta and kebabs together? Try this. Crush some corn to soften it and add mashed potatoes, chana powder, corn flour, salt, jeera powder, green chillies, coriander and red chilli powder. Mix all the ingredients well and prepare binding dough. Now take a baby corn and roll some dough mixture over it and bind it well. Deep fry it till it gets crispy and brown.

BesaniMirchi – For all those who love spicy hot food, besanimirchis are a delight. Easy to make and great to have on a rainy day! Curl up with a book and savor your besanimirchis with any homemade chutney or readymade sauce. Slit the green chillies lengthwise, saute the gram flour mixture in mustard oil,and stir continuously till it darkens. Fill the green chillies with the mixture when it cools. Saute the stuffed chillies till they turn glossy.

Stuffed Jalapenos- Do not feel guilty for having eaten fish in the monsoon… its legal now! This one’s a whole jalapeno filled treat with spicy tomato and fish mixture. Saute the fish in olive oil and green chilly. Crumble, and add onion and garlic.Also add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add spices to taste. Stuff the jalapenos with the fish and decorate with parsley.

Now don’t think too much, enjoy the 'fried' fare because once in a while you can definitely indulge!

 

Weather in major airports in India on 19th June 2013

Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
No Delays – Rise in temperature is expected at Delhi airport. Rain will reduce. Sky will become mainly clear and Winds will begin to blow from west today onwards.

Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar
No Delays – Temperature at Amritsar airport will rise. Sky will be partly cloudy. Winds would change to blow from west.

Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow
No Delays – Temperature at Lucknow airport will remain below the average. Rain and partly cloudy sky is expected. Winds will be easterly.

Lal Bahadur Shashtri International Airport, Varanasi
No Delays – Rain is expected at Varanasi airport. Temperature will come down sharply. Sky will be partly cloudy. Easterly winds will prevail.

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Airport, Patna
No Delays – The weather will be warm and humid at Patna airport. Light rain is expected.  Temperature will remain near average. Sky will be partly cloudy. Easterly winds will prevail.

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
No delays – Rain/ thunder showers are expected at Kolkata airport. Temperatures will maintain. Sky will be partly cloudy with southeasterly winds.

Bangalore Airport
No delays – Temperature at Bangalore will maintain. Light rain may occur. Sky will be generally cloudy and wind direction will be southwest.

 

Photograph by Lokesh_Dhakar

Uttarakhand, HP to get relief from rain; temperatures likely to rise in Delhi, northwest

After witnessing bad weather conditions for last two to three days, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are expected to get relief from rain after the next 24 hours. Rain will also reduce over most parts of central India except south Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha. Rain will occur at many places in northeast during the next two days. Temperatures in Delhi would again rise.

The Western Disturbance over north India that was instrumental in bringing fair amount of rain in north and northwest India particularly over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for last two to three days has moved away eastwards so rain will reduce in these states after the next 24 hours.

Due to reduced rainfall and clouds, temperatures in north and northwest India along with capital New Delhi will rise. Warm and humid weather conditions are expected to make a comeback in these regions during the next few days.

Due to absence of weather system in central India, monsoon rain will remain subdued during the next two to three days. Rain will occur at one or two places in south Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha during the period. Temperatures in the region will rise again.

Monsoon rains are expected to occur in east India over West Bengal, Sikkim and northeast states during the next two days. Rain will be light to moderate. Above average temperatures would come down due to increase in rainfall activities in these regions.

In south Peninsula, monsoon rain will remain intact along the west coast but interiors of south Karnataka, north Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Rayalaseema would remain low on rain. Temperatures will rise and moist winds from southwest would make conditions humid.

Rains create havoc in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh

Monsoon rains have created mayhem in the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himacahl Pradesh. Incessant rain, flash floods and landslides have made life miserable for local residents and tourists who have been stranded due to bad weather.

According to reports, 50 people have died and 60 others are missing in Uttarakhand after floods washed away buildings and roads. More than a dozen people have died in Rudraprayag district alone while another 50 have gone missing.

Following the heavy rains, the Char Dham Yatra has been halted and hundreds and thousands of pilgrims are stranded enroute to Badrinath, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Yamunotri.  The National Highway leading up to Gangotri and Badrinath has been damaged in the floods and is closed for any kind of transportation. Several buildings in Badrinath have been washed away. Munsiyari is the worst hit as the Kali Ganga river has engulfed 400 hundred houses.  The river Ganga is flowing two metres above the danger mark in Uttarakhand.
Efforts are on to save stranded people but incessant rain has made rescue operations difficult in the state. 12 disaster management teams have been rushed to the state.

Sitiuation in Himachal grim
Situation in neighbouring Himchal Pradesh is no different. Flooding and landslides have already claimed eight lives in the state and over 1,500 tourists have been stranded.  Kinnaur district has received 204mm of rains which is the highest in 20 years. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who was stranded in Kinnaur due to landslides has finally been rescued after 60 hours.

 

Photograph by EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

Monsoon to remain active over West coast; rain likely to decrease over Delhi, Uttarakhand

Monsoon rain will remain active over West coast during the next two days. Rain will be heavy to very heavy over Himachal Pradesh while extremely heavy rain could also be received over Konkan & Goa. It is expected to subdue over Delhi and Uttarakhand in a couple of days.

Rain is expected to decrease over Madhya Pradesh while Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh could receive heavy rainfall during the next two days. Heavy to very heavy rain, thundershowers are expected to occur over Pilibhit, Lakhimpur kheri, Bahraich, Srawasti, Gonda, Balrampur, Ahaharanpur, and Sitapur districts of Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Strong winds with speed 50 to 70 Kmph are also expected. Areas adjoining the hills of Nepal will also get affected.

Monsoon rain will be active along the West coast over Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa. Meanwhile, Mumbai will continue to get moderate to heavy showers during the next two days.

Rain is expected to increase over east and northeast states in the next 24 hours. The absence of the weather system in the central peninsular region will let the moisture flow reach these regions and help increase rainfall activities.

Monsoon rain in Delhi and other areas of northwest plains will continue to occur at many places during the next couple of days. However, it will decrease over Delhi for a few days. Temperatures in Delhi would continue to remain below average but they will rise once rainfall activities drop.

Rain will remain subdued over southeast peninsula where a few places will receive rain during the next two days. Rain could increase in interiors of this region post two days.

Weather forecast for the week in India 17th-23rd June

North andNorthwest India

The week starts with monsoon rainfall activities over the entire region. Monsoon has reached the region earlier but a fall in rainfall activities will be witnessed from mid-week. The weather could even become dry by the end of the week. Temperature in northwest plains would start picking up by this time of the week and may close in to the average temperatures for the month at many places in the region.

East and Northeast

These regions are expected to witness a fresh surge in monsoon rainfall activities after Monday onwards. Rain will be weak on first two days of the week but later on moist southerly to southwesterly winds would strengthen the rainfall. Temperatures would start to drop with increase in rainfall activities. The temperature in northeastIndiawould soon dip below average by the weekend.

Central India

After receiving bountiful rain last week, rain is expected to reduce gradually. Vidarbha, east Madhya Pradesh will experience subdued rainfall Tuesday onwards.Gujaratin the region will receive rain throughout the week. Temperatures in the region would scale a bit during the week.

South India

Except west coast over Kerala, Karnataka and Konkan & Goa, monsoon rain will remain subdued in interiors of south Peninsula during the first three days of the week. The region could witness increase in rainfall activities after this period. Temperatures in Tamil Nadu will fall after Wednesday onwards.

Cloud burst in Uttarakhand

Already facing the wrath of mother nature and battling heavy floods, Uttarakhand has been struck by another tragedy. A cloud burst has taken place in Rambada region of the state where more than 50 people have gone missing. Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi are the worst hit areas.

Though government officials have refused to confirm the number of people washed away in the cloud burst, local residents put the number at over two dozen.

Following the heavy rains, the Char Dham Yatra has been halted and hundreds and thousands of pilgrims are stranded enroute to Badrinath, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Yamunotri.

According to weather analysts, rains which began on Saturday night in the hilly northern state and continued for the past two days may subside soon bringing some relief to the people of the region.

Meanwhile, similar situation is expected to prevail over some regions of Uttar Pradesh. Weather experts at Skymet have predicted heavy to very rain, thundershowers over Pilibhit, Lakhimpur kheri, Bahraich, Srawasti, Gonda, Balrampur, Ahaharanpur, and Sitapur districts in the next 24 hours. Strong winds with speed of 50 to 70 Kmph are also expected. Hilly areas of tarai and Adjoining Nepal hills will also get affected.

 

Photograph by EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

Monsoon may take a break in Delhi, North India

Sudden heavy rain in Delhi over the weekend took everyone by surprise. But after65mm of rain recorded in the last two days, monsoon rains may now take a break in Delhi and entire north India for almost a week. “Currently our weather models suggest, there could be little or no rainfall in Delhi till the 24th of June. Intensity of rain may again increase afterwards”, says Mahesh Palawat, head of forecastingat Skymet Weather.

59mm of rain lashed the capital in the last 48 hours and caused major hurdles on the roads. Many parts of north and northwest Delhi (Narela-123mm, Mungeshwar-80mm) recorded rain of up to 200mm within a day.

This time around the rain was sudden and heavy as two major systems, i.e. the western disturbance and a trough of low, travelling from the east of India, towards Haryana and Delhi, collided with each other. And now that western disturbance is moving away and the trough of low has weakened, rains will reduce significantly in the next 24hrs over Delhi and entire north and northwest India, including the hills of Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where up to 600mm of rain has been recorded in 48hrs.

“Normally monsoon rains are never continuous for more than three to four days over Delhi. After bringing good amount of rain, the monsoon surge often weakens, leaving the weather mainly warm and humid. Therefore this shall be the pattern of rain in Delhi till the 24th of this month”, says Palawat.

Moreover, as the rain becomes less, both maximum and minimum temperatures may also rise and settle around 39⁰C and 28⁰C respectively, at least for the next five days. Days will be partly cloudy to mostly cloudy and the humidity levels may reach up to 90%, causing major irritation. Days ahead could therefore be less cool and much less pleasant.

“As we mentioned in our Monsoon Foreshadow 2013, the month of June could see good amounts of rainfall in Delhi butJuly looks dismal since rain may be below the normal figures. Also, our models indicate that there could be a sharp rainfall deficit because August may witness even lesser rain than July”, informs Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet Weather.

Meanwhile, heavy to very rain, thundershowers are expected to occur over Pilibhit, Lakhimpur kheri, Bahraich, Srawasti, Gonda, Balrampur, Ahaharanpur, and Sitapur districts of Uttar Pradesh during next 24 hours. Strong winds with speed 50 to 70 Kmph are also expected. Hilly areas of tarai and Adjoining Nepal hills will also get affected.

Rain brings life to a grinding halt in Delhi

While rain in Delhi has cooled down temperatures and brought huge relief to Delhiites from the sweltering heat, heavy downpour in the last two days has left many streets in the national capital waterlogged.

Intermittent to heavy rain was again witnessed in the city on Monday morning which threw life completely out of gear. Commuters faced traffic snarls in many parts of the city as major roads got waterlogged due to poor drainage.  Commuters travelling from Delhi to NCR regions of Noida and Gurgaon had to face a harrowing time as they had to battle long traffic jams.

Waterlogging was reported from many parts of the city including Kashmiri Gate, IGI airport, Vasant Kunj Anand Parbat and Outer ring Road. Traffic intersections at Kashmiri gate metro station, Moti Bagh, Munirka Flyover, Palam and under the Minto Bridge was also submerged bringing traffic to a standstill. Other areas where traffic moved at slow pace include Raja Garden flyover in west Delhi, Vikas Marg near ITO and Akshardham Metro station.

Similar situation is going to exist for some time as weather experts at Skymet have forecast more rain for the next 24 hours.

The maximum and minimum temperature on Monday is expected to stay around 34 and 25 degrees Celsius. The sky will remain mainly clear with thundershowers at some places.

Has the monsoon weakened in Bangalore?

Half the month has already passed but days don’t seem to change for Bangalore. While the entire country is witnessing good monsoon showers, Bangalore seems to bear no rain at all and chances of rain look dismal in the future too. So have the monsoon rains weakened over the city? While the month of May ended on a good note, June is proving to be a month of worries for people of the city. “Records at Skymet Weather show there has been over only 3mm of rain in the last one week, whereas the total amount of rainfall till now has only been up to 26mm’, says, Mahesh Palawat, Head of the forecasting team. 31st May-100mm , 1st June- 13mm, 2thJune- 5mm, 3thJune-5mm, 4thJune- Nil, 5thJune-Nil, 6thJune- Nil, 7thJune- 2mm, 8thJune- Nil, 9th June- Nil, 10th June- Nil, 11th June- 1mm, 12th June- Nil, 13th June- 0.1mm of rain, 14th June- traces of rainfall, 15th June- 0.5mm of rain, 16th June- 0.1mm While the cool and cloudy weather is keeping some happy, others are complaining and seem to be disappointed with dry and humid days. “I am travelling to Bangalore for work for the first time and I had heard a lot about the rainy weather of the city. My colleagues and I had also planned a monsoon trek and a trip to the Nandi Hills but it seems impossible to travel in this sultry and uneasy weather. “Yes the rains have been less and the figures look worrisome but according to us this is nothing unusual. We are keeping a close eye at the rainfall pattern in Bangalore and if it continues to not rain in the city, then that could be alarming”, informs Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet Weather. Weather models indicate that the rain situation could get better in Bangalore after two to three days when the monsoon surge may reach the interiors of Karnataka. Currently monsoon is active over the west coast, of India where the monsoon rains have become moderate to heavy in intensity over many parts of Mumbai, Karnataka, Konkon, Goa and Kerala. “Last year Bangalore received approximately 2mm of rain from the 1st till the 12th of June, therefore the rainfall figures of this year are already way above of what they were last year. Besides, the monsoon rain figures also show that there has been excess rain (45%) in south interior Karnataka till now. “Also, many may not know, rainfall received in the month of June is only 18% of the total monsoon rainfall from June to September”, added Palawat. So the hope is not over yet as rainy days are ahead!!

Weather in major airports in India on 15th June 2013

Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
No Delays – Temperature at Delhi airport will remain below average at this time. Pre-monsoon showers could occur in some areas of Delhi. Sky will remain generally cloudy. Winds will blow from east and southeast.

Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar
No Delays – Temperature at Amritsar airport will rise but will still remain below average. Thunder development and rain could be experienced. Sky will be generally cloudy. Southeasterly to easterly winds will prevail.

Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow
No Delays – Temperature at Lucknow airport will fall a bit as rain and partly cloudy sky is expected. Easterly winds will be witnessed.

Lal Bahadur Shashtri International Airport, Varanasi
No Delays – Hot and humid weather will continue at Varanasi airport. Temperature will maintain.  Rain or thunder showers are expected. Sky will be partly cloudy. Easterly winds will prevail.

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Airport, Patna
No Delays – The weather will be warm and humid at Patna airport. Temperature will remain near average. Sky will be partly cloudy. Rain is expected in some areas of Patna. Easterly to southeasterly winds will prevail.

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
No delays – Moderate rain is expected at Kolkata airport. Temperatures will maintain. Sky will be partly cloudy. Southeasterly winds will prevail.

Bangalore Airport
No delays – Temperature at Bangalore will drop. Generally cloudy sky will prevail. Light rain is expected. Wind direction will be southwest.

 

Photograph by RameshNG







latest news