The Hindu : Front Page : Monsoon hits Delhi, a day in advance

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Friday, Jun 29, 2007
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Monsoon hits Delhi, a day in advance

P. Sunderarajan

Rains so far in the country have been bountiful and agricultural prospects are bright: weatherman

– PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

MONSOON IS HERE: The scene on Rajpath in the Capital on Thursday soon after the first monsoon shower.

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited monsoon arrived in Delhi on Thursday, a day ahead of the normal date of onset, bringing an end to the extremely sultry weather experienced for the past few days. Most parts of the Capital received good showers in the morning, sending temperatures down.

Announcing the arrival of the monsoon, India Meteorological Department’s spokesperson said rains or thundershowers are likely to continue for at least the next two days.

Interestingly, even as the monsoon hit Delhi, there were signs that another low pressure area could form over the Bay of Bengal around July 5. Indications are that it would also be a strong system, and ensure that the current phase of the active monsoon would continue for at least another two weeks.

Meanwhile, the deep depression over north-west and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify further and bring more rains over northern Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

The weatherman has warned that there is even a possibility of extremely heavy rainfall, with a precipitation of over 25 cm over a period of 24 hours, in some areas of northern Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chhattisgarh during the next two days and in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat this coming weekend.

During the next two days, squally winds with speeds reaching 55 to 65 kmph are likely along and off northern Andhra Pradesh and Orissa coast and sea conditions could be very rough, said the weatherman.

“The prospects are very bright for agricultural production in the country. Rains so far have been bountiful and the distribution has also been quite even. With the possibility of the formation of another strong low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, the trend is likely to continue at least till mid-July,” said a senior official of the India Meteorological Department.

According to data available with the IMD, the cumulative precipitation for the country till now is seven per cent more than the normal. To add to that, almost the entire country is covered. Only a few areas in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab are yet to be covered.

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