india

Updated: Apr 26, 2020 21:12 IST

Thunderstorms are brewing over northwest India, east and northeast India, including Gangetic West Bengal, and across peninsular India including coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, suggesting an extension of this week’s spell of rain in an unusually wet April, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin on Sunday.

A low-pressure area is also forming over the south Andaman Sea, which will result in rough seas and thundershowers around Andaman and Nicobar and the Sumatra coast starting April 30, IMD said.

A western disturbance that started affecting parts of north India on Saturday evening and easterly moisture-laden winds are causing overcast skies, some thundershowers and moderate winds in most parts of northwest India including the National Capital Region (NCR) centred on Delhi.

“There is intense activity in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Dust storms, hail storms and thundershowers are likely in these places. An orange alert has been issued so that authorities remain alert. In Delhi-NCR, light rain has been recorded in many parts. Similar conditions will continue till Monday,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, of the regional weather forecasting centre.

April hasn’t been as warm as it typically is in Delhi because of back-to-back westerly disturbances which either led to rain or overcast skies.

“Till Saturday, the average maximum temperature in Delhi has been approximately 8 degrees C below normal. But we are still analysing the data to see if it’s a record,” Shrivastava added.

IMD’s Sunday bulletin said intense thunderstorm activity accompanied with squally weather and hailstorms with rainfall exceeding 5 cm had been observed on April 25 at many places over coastal Odisha, north-Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and north Tamil Nadu

“Due to establishment of an east-west trough and wind convergence along Indo-Gangetic plains and accompanied moisture incursion from both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in lower levels, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity is very likely to continue over parts of east and northeast India during next two days with peak activity over Odisha, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal on Sunday,” the bulletin said.

Heavy rainfall and hailstorms are expected in Odisha, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the next couple of days. Heavy rainfall over parts of Kerala and Mahe is likely for the next 4 to 5 days.

“In east, northeast and peninsular India we are seeing some severe thunderstorm activity. It is normal during the pre-monsoon season. There is a lot of moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal over the east and northeast. It’s the kalbaisakhi Norwesters] season. Occasionally, some very intense activity can be there like a hailstorm or squall,” said K Sathi Devi, head, national weather forecasting centre. “In northwest India, the reasons are different. There is influence of a westerly disturbance here and moisture incursion from both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. In Rajasthan where there is less moisture, there may be dust storms,” she added.

According to various numerical weather prediction models of the IMD, a low pressure area is likely to form over the south Andaman Sea around April 30. It is likely to become more marked over the same region. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea along and off the north Sumatra coast, Andaman Sea and adjoining areas of southeast and east central Bay of Bengal from April 30 to May 3.