IMD issues heavy rainfall alert for south, heatwaves in north

New Delhi: Large parts of southern India are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next five days, while sweltering heat waves are likely to hit north west India and Bihar, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said here on Thursday.

The wet spell that will bring fairly widespread rainfall along with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds in south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, has been triggered by a cyclonic circulation over Comorin coast and south Tamil Nadu.

As a consequence, isolated heavy rainfall (64-115 mm) is very likely to occur over Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-Karaikal, Kerala-Mahe and south interior Karnataka on May 16-20, over coastal Karnataka between May 17 19 and Lakshadweep during May 19-20.

“Wet spell with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 22,” said an IMD official.

The met agency has also predicted isolated very heavy rainfall (115-204 mm) and extremely heavy rainfall (over 204 mm) in some of the pockets in southern states in the next four days.

Parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have begun receiving the rainfall, which will intensify by Friday.

Once the cyclonic circulation is over or at least weakens substantially, the south west monsoon is likely to further advance into the Andaman Sea around May 19.

The IMD has announced that the monsoon would reach the Kerala coast on May 31. Since the onset date forecast has an error margin of four days on either side, the much awaited southwest monsoon can arrive anytime between May 27 and June 4, commencing what the IMD predicts as “above normal” monsoon season.

Meanwhile, large tracts of northern India suffer from above normal temperature and heatwaves, which are likely to impact central and eastern India in another two days.

Severe heat wave conditions when the maximum temperature departs by more than 6.5 degrees Celsius from normal temperature, are very likely in parts of west Rajasthan during May 17-20 and in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during May 18-20 May. Gradually it will extend to Uttar Pradesh and northern parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Heatwave conditions (temperature departure is between 4.5-6.4 degrees C) will also occur in isolated pockets in all these states, says IMD.