The weather system in the Bay of Bengal lingered on for quite some time before moving inland earlier this week and is now positioned over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand as a low pressure area. The system is moving in a west-northwest direction and will take another day to reach east Uttar Pradesh. It will finally break up over west Uttar Pradesh and adjoining hills between the 7th and 8th of July, before becoming insignificant. It has an associated cyclonic circulation extending up to 7.6 km above mean sea level. The system brought in a lot of activity in East India particularly over West Bengal and adjoining areas.
As predicted by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the system is making a slow progress, expanding to cover almost entire East India but with reduced intensity. As far as rain is concerned, even parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Vidarbha, east Madhya Pradesh will receive rain besides West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.
In a span of 24 hours from 8.30 am on Thursday, Bihar and Jharkhand received good showers with Bokaro recording 87 mm of rain, Daltonganj 24 mm, Jamshedpur 34 mm, Ranchi 63 mm.
In Bihar, Muzaffarpur 99 mm, Bhagalpur received 75 mm, Gaya 31 mm and Patna 12 mm.
West Bengal continues to receive good showers as well with Asansol recording 61.4 mm of rain, Bankura 50.1 mm, Digha 33.4 mm, Jalpaiguri 33 mm, Kolkata 42.3 mm and Krishnanagar 40.4 mm.
According to the latest weather update, rain will continue in these two states for the next 72 hours.
Skymet had already given a detailed look of the prominent features of the system, which are as follows:
- The system has been crucial for mitigating the rain deficiency in other parts of the country.
- It is responsible for establish the Monsoon trough, important for bringing Monsoon rain along the Indo Gangetic plains.
- It has a good life span and expected to last for a total of 7 to 8 days.
- The low pressure area is also intensifying the Monsoon surge along the West Coast. Consequently, Mumbai, Konkan and Goa have received good rain.
- We have already said that this weather system has been lingering on for quite some time, bringing good Monsoon rain over East India. It is likely to persist for another 3 days.
- The system has been erratic, showing signs of intensification at times and then again disorganising. There has been no consistency in terms of cloud formation as well, with a cluster of thick clouds quickly scattering away.
- Any low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal brings easterly winds, which reduces the intensity of rain over Northeast India, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.