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The 24 hours ending Monday morning saw rain or thundershowers from an ongoing extended rain session persist over the South Peninsula, at most places over Lakshadweep and at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said.
Heavy rainfall has been reported from Tamil Nadu, with the significant amounts being 11 cm at Bhuvanagiri; nine cm at Parangipettai,; six cm at Ramanathapuram; three cm each at Long Islands, Minicoy and Toothukudi; and two cm at Palayankottai, Kanyakumari, Karaikal, Nagappattinam and Athiramapattinam.
Delta & Ghat areas
As is clear in the rainfall spread, the rain belt is heading South with the delta districts and the Ghat areas likely benefiting over the next couple of days, an update from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) agreed on Monday.
Meanwhile, the first 10 days of the New Year (January) has delivered an unprecedented surplus of 211 per cent (having come down from 240 per cent as of Sunday) for the country as a whole with only East and North-East India finding itself in deficit, State-wise rainfall data provided by the IMD said.
Individual surpluses are in four-figures with Goa in Central India leading with a run-away surplus of 4,246 per cent. N Lakshmanan, a senior tea planter and Director of Tamil Nadu-based Golden Hills Estate, told BusinessLine the last time the State had enjoyed this type of weather was way back in 1985-86.
Record Jan rain surplus
Other top performers so far during January are Kerala (2,644 per cent); Karnataka (2,634 per cent); Kerala (3,180 per cent); Lakshadweep (1,080 per cent) followed in three-figure marks by Tamil Nadu (758 per cent); Puducherry (620 per cent); and Andhra Pradesh (336 per cent). Telangana alone ended up in a deficit at -41 per cent. North-West India too had a good run from productive western disturbances.
On Monday, a persisting cyclonic circulation off the Sri Lanka coast indicated that widespread to fairly widespread rain with isolated heavy falls, moderate thunderstorms and lightning may persist over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep for three more days.
La Nina moderate to strong
This activity would significant decrease thereafter, the IMD said. The extended rain session is being attributed to prevailing La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific, which may continue through March (95 per cent) and into March-May (65 per cent), according to the US Climate Prediction Centre.
Most models suggest La Nina would peak either this month or next (February) at moderate to strong levels with a likely return to ‘neutral’ conditions during April to June (50 per cent chance) in time for the commencement of the 2021 South-West monsoon, indicating mixed signals for the impending season.