The fortnight-long dry spell over south-eastern peninsular India is set to end this week as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast showers that are likely to last till November 23.
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According to the IMD, there will be heavy rain over Tamil Nadu and Kerala till Sunday, and over Rayalaseema, Yanam and coastal Andhra Pradesh till Tuesday. Thunder and lightning are also likely. The weather office has advised fishermen against venturing into the coasts off Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Andhra Pradesh till November 22 in view of rough sea conditions.
The westward movement of the low-pressure area which had developed on Sunday over the Southwest Bay of Bengal, will fuel moisture and keep the Northeast Monsoon active. On Monday, the IMD said another low-pressure area was likely to develop in the Southeast Bay of Bengal around November 22 which could intensify in the coming days.
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On Monday, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Mayiladuthurai, Puducherry, and Cuddalore districts received moderate to heavy rainfall between 40 mm and 120 mm.
The current dry spell comes after an extremely wet start to the Northeast Monsoon season following the landfall of Cyclone Montha on October 28 close to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. The eastern parts of the south peninsula had experienced a long dry spell till late October, and it continued well into the first fortnight of November.
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The rain remained significantly subdued across Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, south interior Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep – regions that benefit from the Northeast Monsoon season during October-December. Puducherry (-24%), Kerala (-26%), and Tamil Nadu ( -9%) remain some of the rain-deficient regions as of November 16.
Cold wave to sweep Central, North India this week
Cold wave conditions will prevail over the western regions of Madhya Pradesh till Friday, with ‘severe’ cold wave conditions expected in the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra, and Telangana will also experience cold wave till Wednesday, with minimum temperatures dropping up to 5 degree Celsius from normal.
On Tuesday, the minimum temperature will drop by up to 3 degree Celsius across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.