IMD forecasts rains over Northwest, central India from May 28 to 31; favourable conditions for Monsoon

New Delhi: The National Weather Forecasting Centre of the India Meteorological Department on Thursday (May 28) forecasted that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailing over plains of Northwest and Central India is likely to subside from the 29th May 2020. The conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon during next 48 hours, said the IMD.

Cloudy weather and sporadic rain today gave the national capital much-needed relief from the heatwave. The mercury dropped several notches during the day and further in the evening as strong winds swept across the city and many areas witnessed light rain.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded a maximum of 40.3 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. On Tuesday, the observatory recorded a high of 46 degrees Celsius -- equalling an 18-year-old record for May.

The Palam Observatory, however, recorded the maximum temperature at 41.8 degrees Celsius, down from 47.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The weather stations at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar recorded their respective maximum at 38.4 degrees Celsius and 40.4 degrees Celsius, said the IMD.

The National Weather Forecasting Centre of the IMD made following observations given below:

A Western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation lies over east Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan in mid-tropospheric levels. A cyclonic circulation lies over northeast Rajasthan and neighborhood and an east-west trough runs across northern planes in lower tropospheric levels.

Under its influence, scattered to fairly widespread rain/thunderstorm are very likely over Western Himalaya Region (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit–Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and adjoining plains of northwest India during 28th to 31st May 2020 and isolated to scattered rain/thundershowers likely over Madhya Pradesh during the same period.

Isolated thunderstorm along with lightning, hail, squall/gusty winds likely over Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi during 28th-31st May and duststorm/thunderstorm/squally winds very likely over Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during 28th to 30th May.

The other observations/inferences made by the IMD are as follows:

The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some parts of Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of the Maldives-Comorin area during the next 48 hours.

- In view of likely formation of a Low-Pressure Area over southeast & adjoining the east-central Arabian Sea around 31st May, conditions are likely to become favourable for the onset of Southwest Monsoon over Kerala around 1st June 2020.

- The low-pressure area over the Westcentral Arabian Sea and associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric level persists. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression over the same region during the next 48 hours. It is likely to move northwestwards towards south Oman & east Yemen coast during the next 72 hours.

- The Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation over east Afghanistan & adjoining Pakistan between 5.8 & 7.6 km above mean sea level persists.

- The cyclonic circulation over northeast Rajasthan and neighbourhood extending up to 0.9 km above mean sea level persists.

- The trough extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level from Vidarbha to interior Tamil Nadu across Telangana and Rayalseema persists.

- The cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining south Sri Lanka coast between 3.1 & 4.5 km above mean sea level persists.

- The EastWest trough from Punjab to north Chhattisgarh across Haryana, northeast Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh extending upto 1.5 km above mean sea level persists.

- The cyclonic circulation over south Assam and neighbourhood extending up to 3.1 km above mean sea level persists.

- The cyclonic circulation at 5.8 km above mean sea level over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Maldives area persists.