A low pressure area has formed over northwest Bay of Bengal near the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh, and is likely to bring more rain to parts of central India and Kerala, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Floods triggered by heavy rain have killed more than 70 people in Kerala in the past four days. In Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, the floods have claimed the lives 150 people in the past one week.
An IMD bulletin on Monday said a low pressure area and the associated cyclonic circulation are likely to move west-north-westwards and become more marked in the next 48 hours [August 13 and 14].
“Under the influence of this low pressure area, heavy to very heavy rainfall...is likely over Odisha on August 12, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha on August 13, east Madhya Pradesh on August 13 and 14, west Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan on August 14 and 15,” the bulletin read.
Heavy rainfall is also expected in Kerala, Karnataka, the Konkan region, including Goa, until August 15.
“The rains over Kerala due to this weather system will not be as intense as last week. But there will be heavy spells. We are expecting extremely heavy rains over Odisha on Monday and over several parts of Central India in the next two to three days,” said K Sathi Devi, head of national weather forecasting centre at IMD.
{{/usCountry}}“The rains over Kerala due to this weather system will not be as intense as last week. But there will be heavy spells. We are expecting extremely heavy rains over Odisha on Monday and over several parts of Central India in the next two to three days,” said K Sathi Devi, head of national weather forecasting centre at IMD.
{{/usCountry}}There is a “red alert” for parts of central India, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan for August 13, 14 and 15. The red category warning implies that authorities should take action to avert disaster.
“Odisha, Chhattisgarh, MP and Vidarbha and Kerala will receive rains on August 13 and 14; after August 15 rains will reduce in these areas. Last week, there was intense rain and flooding in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra etc mainly because of a cyclonic circulation near the Kerala coast which activated the monsoon,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, climate change and meteorology at Skymet Weather, a private weather forecaster.
According to the IMD, there is officially no deficiency in monsoon rain. From a 33% deficiency at the end of June, the figure has reduced to next to nothing. East and northeast India has a deficiency of 15.4% and northwest India, 10.4% but this is offset by a 13.4% surplus in central India and a 4.5% surplus in peninsular India according to IMD Pune website on Monday evening.