Monsoon advances further, likely onset in Mumbai by weekend, say reports; mercury rises in north India

The monsoon is expected to arrive in Mumbai by the end of this week, reports said, as conditions become favourable for the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon. According to the district forecast and warnings (till 13 June) issued Tuesday by the IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai, rain and thunder showers are very likely in Palghar, Thane and Mumbai districts on 11 June and a likely probability on 12 June. The forecast issued at 1300 hours on Tuesday also predicted a likely probability of light to moderate rain on 13 June (Saturday). [caption id=“attachment_8466351” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] On Tuesday, a report in The Times of India has quoted the IMD as saying that Southwest Monsoon will arrive in Mumbai by this week as favourable conditions are expected to form in parts of Konkan in the next 48 hours. Mumbai falls into the norther part of the Konkan region. Though Cyclone Nisarga brought pre-monsoon showers in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, according to skymetweather.com, the Southwest Monsoon is currently “marginally behind schedule over Peninsular India”. The Southwest Monsoon, the report says, “ has been limited to parts of South Peninsula below 15deg N along the west coast and about 13deg N on the east coast” and is yet to make appearance over the North East and East India. Last week, a report in Hindustan Times had quoted the weather bureau as saying that “the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon can be expected over the city next week close to its new normal onset date of 11 June”. Conditions becoming favourable: IMD The Southwest Monsoon is likely to arrive in Kolkata on 12 June, reports said, whereas it is likely to hit Odisha in next three days. “In all probability, the monsoon is expected to hit Odisha within three days. It is likely to enter into parts of Odisha on 11 or 12 June,” HR Biswas, director of the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar told PTI, adding that monsoon rains are likely to lash southern and eastern parts of the state initially before advancing to other regions. Moreover, a low-pressure area has already formed over east-central Bay of Bengal which is linked to the movement of Southwest Monsoon in the region, he said. The IMD in its All-India Weather Forecast Bulletin on Tuesday said that conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into more parts of the country. It also said that “Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of west central and north Bay of Bengal, today”. “Conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, Goa, some parts of Maharashtra, some more parts of Karnataka and Rayalaseema, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, some parts of Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh…” during the next 48 hours, it said. The IMD also said conditions are likely to become favourable subsequently for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana remaining parts of Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of Bay of Bengal and northeastern states during the subsequent 48 hours. Temperatures soar in north India Meanwhile, temperatures in several places in north India, including Delhi, increased by a few notches on Tuesday. The mercury in the national capital was above the 40 degrees Celsius-mark. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded a maximum of 40.6 degrees Celsius. On Monday, it recorded a high of 37.6 degrees Celsius. The weather stations at Palam and Lodhi Road recorded their respective maximum temperatures at 42 and 39.9 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels oscillated between 38 and 86 per cent in Delhi. The maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab rose by a few notches but the mercury settled near or below the normal limits at most places. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a high of 37.6 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, according to the Meteorological (MeT) department here. In Haryana, Ambala’s maximum settled at 39.3 degrees Celsius, which was within the normal limits, while Karnal recorded a high of 37.4 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. Hisar had a hot day at 42 degrees Celsius but it was within the normal limits. Narnaul, which received light rainfall during the day, registered a high of 33.5 degrees Celsius, nine notches below normal. Ludhiana in Punjab registered a maximum of 38.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, while Patiala recorded a high of 38.7 degrees Celsius, also a notch below normal limits. Amritsar recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal limits. The mercury continued to remain above the 40 degrees Celsius-mark in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, the MeT office said. Jhansi registered the highest temperature in the state with 42.5 degrees Celsius, it said. The maximum temperature in Lucknow was 39.9 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 27.4 degrees, the department said The mercury rose to 42 degrees Celsius in Allahabad, followed by 41.6 degrees in Agra, 41.5 degrees in Kanpur and 41.2 degrees Hamirpur. Aligarh registered a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius, while it was 40.3 degrees in Fursatganj and 40.1 degrees in Varanasi. Orai in Jalaun district and Sultanpur recorded a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius. The weather will most likely remain dry over the state, it added. Several places in Rajasthan witnessed a rise in maximum temperature on Tuesday, and Sriganganagar turned out to be the hottest place in the state recording 43.3 degrees Celsius, a MeT department official said. Bikaner recorded 43.2 degree Celsius, followed by Churu (43), Jaisalmer (42.8), Barmer (41.7), Kota (41.3), Jaipur (41), and Jodhpur (40.7). Ajmer recorded a high of 39.6 degrees Celsius. Dabok received 0.55 mm rainfall on Tuesday and recorded a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius. The Met department has forecast thunderstorm/ lightning accompanied with gusty winds (with 30-40 kmph speed) to occur at isolated places in east Rajasthan. Another locust attack likely in a few weeks: Officials In a related news, the Locust Warning Organisation has warned of locust swarm attacks in late June and early July that may enter India along with monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea to destroy kharif crops. “The locust swarms may attack in late June and early July. There is every possibility that locust swarms will come towards India from African countries along with monsoon winds rising from the Arabian Sea,” KL Gurjar, deputy director of the Faridabad-based Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), told PTI. He said the summer and rainy weather is favourable for locusts and they move from one place to another during this time, travelling 150 km in a day. India faced a locust attack last month and the swarms reached Jaipur for the first time. Swarms of locusts travelled through several areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh amid their worst invasion in years. The swarms entered Rajasthan in April from Pakistan and then spread to areas across the western states, helped by strong winds. Gurjar said the LWO is making full preparations at its level. For the first time, a team of 25 drones is being prepared to fight the locust swarm, which will be ready in a day or two. It will be used for spraying insecticides. Apart from this, the organisation will get 60 more vehicle-mounted sprayers by the end of this month. With inputs from PTI