IMD forecast: The monsoon activity has picked up in the country, bringing the rain deficiency to 5% from 9% in the end of August. Monsoon rains are nearing the normal category which is 104% to 96% of the long period average.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall over eastern India on September 18 and 19 due to a cyclonic circulation. The circulation is likely to develop over north Bay of Bengal on September 17, the IMD said on Wednesday.
The weather department also said that north and central India – Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, east Rajasthan and Gujarat – are likely to witness intense rainfall activity till Thursday.
“Rainfall activity is likely to increase over Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal with fairly widespread to widespread rainfall and isolated heavy falls over above areas on September 18-19,” the IMD said.
It added that scattered to fairly widespread rainfall is very likely over northwest India (excluding Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh) till September 17.
The monsoon activity has picked up in the country, bringing the rain deficiency to 5% from 9% in the end of August. Monsoon rains are nearing the normal category which is 104% to 96% of the long period average.
Meanwhile, the weather department issued an orange alert for Delhi, warning of heavy rain in the national capital on Thursday.
An orange alert is issued as a warning for extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and drain closures and interruption of power supply.
The capital has already recorded 1,146.4 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon season, the highest in 46 years and almost double the precipitation gauged last year.
The Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the official marker for the city, had gauged 1,150 mm of rainfall in the monsoon season in 1975.
This month alone, Delhi has witnessed 390mm of rain, making it the second rainiest September since 1901. The highest this month has ever received is 417.3mm in September 1944.
