E-Paper
Pre-monsoon showers keep Pune in the wet as monsoon beckons
On Tuesday, Pune reported 0.3 mm rainfall with IMD forecasting showers will continue in Pune city, along with thunderstorms and lightning for the next few days
PUNE Even as the monsoon is still a few days away, Pune’s rendezvous with the pre-monsoon rain continued on Tuesday, the 10th day in a row. Meteorologists said the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Maharashtra can be forecast only once it reaches the Kerala coast.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Tuesday, released its second long-range forecast, with a 106% LPA (long period average) of rain for central India, which includes Maharashtra.
On Tuesday, Pune reported 0.3 mm rainfall with IMD forecasting showers will continue in Pune city, along with thunderstorms and lightning for the next few days.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting at IMD Pune, said that light to moderate rainfall is likely to continue in and around Pune and its adjoining areas for the next few days.
“There are strong westerly winds along with a trough line which is incurring moisture from the Arabia Sea, from Central India to Madhya Maharashtra. Due to this we are seeing light to moderate rainfall in the city and four subdivisions of Maharashtra,” said Kashyapi.
IMD officials noted that there is a cyclonic circulation over east central Arabian Sea off the Karnataka coast, which lies over the east-central Arabian Sea. A trough line runs from the cyclonic circulation over east- central Arabian Sea and the neighbourhood, to north Madhya Maharashtra, which is a reason for rainfall across Maharashtra.
“We have forecasted that light to moderate rainfall is likely in Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada and parts of Konkan and Goa. These are pre-monsoon showers,” said Kashyapi.
As per the forecast, all four subdivisions in Maharashtra will receive moderate rainfall at isolated places till June 4.
“As per the latest meteorological indications, the southwesterly winds have strengthened, resulting in likely enhancement in rainfall activity over Kerala. Hence, the monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to take place around June 3,” said IMD officials.
“After the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Kerala, conditions will get clearer as to when the monsoon will reach Maharashtra and Pune. As of now, conditions are favourable for the onset over Kerala. On Tuesday, 12 of 14 stations in Kerala are reporting rainfall. When all 14 stations report widespread rainfall, we can say that the conditions are becoming more favourable,” said Kashyapi.
The Second Long Range Forecast released by IMD suggests that the rainfall over the four homogeneous regions in India is most likely to be normal.
“Seasonal rainfall is most likely to be above normal over Central India that includes Maharashtra. The southwest monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the monsoon core zone, which consists of most of the rain-fed agriculture regions in the country, is most likely to be above normal,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD Director General of Meteorology.
