Interior parts of the South Peninsula have largely remained devoid of any pre-monsoon thunderstorms, so far. Earlier, at the start of the month, the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh was the hottest pocket for quite some time. However, in the absence of a seasonal trough, it failed to yield any thunderstorm activity. Similar was the case with Telangana, Karnataka and the interiors of Tamil Nadu. Conditions are building up now for the commencement of stormy activity, yet still not very intense.
A wind discontinuity, akin to a north-south trough is extending from Vidarbha to South Interior Karnataka, across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The feature has further extension southward up to the Comorin area. This also has an embedded circulation over parts of North Interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema. The anticyclonic flow on either side of the coastline is fueling a moist stream over the interior parts of the peninsula.
The temperatures are well above normal over the interiors of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Anantapur, Kurnool, Cuddappah, and Nandyal have recorded temperatures in excess of 43°C. Interiors of Karnataka like Gadag, Belgavi, Bellari and Raichur are sizzling with temperatures above 40°C. The capital city of Bengaluru, which recorded light rain in some parts yesterday, is battling with high temperatures for the last many days. This excess heat will provide support to the Peninsular India trough and trigger thunderstorms across the region.
Much-awaited pre-monsoon activity is likely over Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The thunderstorm is likely over Hyderabad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Raichur, Chitradurga, Mysore, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Thanjavur, Madurai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and the hills of Palani and Nilgiris. The trough is expected to oscillate east and west over the region for the next 3-4 days. Light to moderate, fairly widespread activity is likely between 18th and 20th April. Leftover effect on 21st April and isolated activity during next week is likely.
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