Fresh storm looms, may boost monsoon march, says Met dept

NEW DELHI: After Amphan and Nisarga, a third storm could be heading for the Indian coast around June 10-11. But unlike the previous two, this one may lack the force of a cyclone, not pack in the brute force of a cyclone, but may develop into a depression, entering Odisha from the Bay of Bengal and giving a major push to monsoon’s advance into central India as well as east and northeastern states.
The storm is likely to begin as a low-pressure system in east-central Bay of Bengal around June 8, the India Meteorological Department (IMD said. Weather models currently show the storm crossing Odisha around June 11, and moving towards Vidarbha and adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.
“It could develop into a depression but is unlikely to strengthen into a cyclone. It’s too early to predict the strength and path because the system is yet to form. But current indications are that it will give a major boost to monsoon’s advance through rest of south India, and its movement into central India and the east and northeast,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head of IMD.
This is the time of the advance of monsoon, and a low pressure system coming in from the bay of Bengal is a good signal, he added.
The southwest monsoon, which entered Kerala on its normal date of June 1.
According to some weather models, the system forming in the Bay of Bengal will bring good rains from June 10 onwards in Odisha, and many parts of central, east, northeast and south India, and also bring moisture into north India.
“With the formation of a low-pressure system in Bay of Bengal around June 10 and its movement towards Madhya Pradesh, moisture leaden easterly winds are expected into Delhi-NCR through Uttar Pradesh. In association with this system, thunderstorm with light rain accompanied with gusty winds of the speed of 50-60kmph during the evening of June 11 till June 13, with peak activity on June 12, would occur over Delhi-NCR, UP, Uttarakhand and east Rajasthan. Isolated heavy rain is also expected over UP and Uttarakhand during this period,” said an update from IMD’s regional weather forecasting system in Delhi.