Very heavy showers to lash Kerala
AFTER a relatively weaker beginning in November, the Northeast Monsoon is gearing up to put on a strong performance this week! Powered by a cyclonic circulation over North Tamil Nadu, the annual winter rain phenomenon is set to flourish over South India.
Meanwhile, a fresh low-pressure area is likely to develop over the east-central Arabian Sea, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Under its influence, light to moderate showers could blanket many parts of South Peninsular India till Friday, November 10, decreasing thereafter. Some parts of Rayalaseema, Coastal and South Interior Karnataka could be in for heavy rainfall (64.5 mm-115.5 mm) on Monday.
But that's only the start to a rainier-than-usual week! IMD also forecast very heavy downpours (115.6 mm-204.5 mm) to lash some parts of Kerala and Mahe on Monday. In addition, heavy falls are in the books over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till Wednesday (November 6-8) and Kerala-Mahe till Thursday (November 6-9).
Many prominent South Indian cities have a rainy schedule for the next few days. IMD forecasts 1-2 rain or thundershower spells over Karnataka's Bengaluru for the next three days, followed by light rain till Friday at least. Even last week, Bengaluru witnessed frequent evening showers, and similar conditions may even hamper the ICC Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the city’s Chinnaswamy stadium on Thursday.
A similar story is unfolding in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, with moderate rains or thunderstorms likely to make an appearance over many areas till Thursday, fizzling out to light rain into the weekend.
The upcoming rainfall will help dip temperatures by a couple of notches over the week in some Kerala districts. IMD forecasts 1-2 rain or thunderstorm spells to blanket Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi till Friday as well.
In lieu of the rains, IMD has placed South Interior and Coastal Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on a yellow watch (meaning 'be updated' on the weather) till Wednesday, with North Interior Karnataka sharing the warning from Tuesday onwards.
District-level orange alerts were issued for Malappuram, Idukki and Pathanamthitta on Monday, and Ernakulam and Palakkad on Tuesday, urging Kerala residents to be prepared for any upcoming weather woes.
Despite the slow start to the northeast monsoon season, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have still managed to accumulate 1.5-2 times the normal rainfall so far this month. However, Karnataka continues to struggle, having accumulated only 6.8 mm of rain, amounting to a 40% deficiency. The upcoming rains could go a long way in correcting these stats.
