Pune: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast the withdrawal of southwest monsoon in Maharashtra from October 5-10. Anurag Kashyapi, the head of IMD Pune, said that satellite imagery shows anti-cyclonic conditions at specific altitudes and moisture depletion in northwest and central-west India. The withdrawal line is similar to the one seen in 2013, the IMD said.
At the same time, the East Central Arabian Sea is becoming less active, potentially aiding the withdrawal process. The IMD predicts that as the system moves away from the coastline, it will become less active, allowing the monsoon to catch up with its speed.
The extreme northern parts of Maharashtra, including middle Maharashtra and smaller areas in west Vidharbha are likely to witness the withdrawal from next week.
Meteorologist Vaishali Khobragade said that an orange alert has been issued for the Konkan region, with heavy rainfall for 48 hours. The ghat areas of Satara, Kolhapur and Pune are also expected to experience heavy rainfall for 72 hours, prompting the issuance of a yellow alert. Additionally, some parts of the state will observe thunderstorms and rainfall.
Meanwhile, private weather agency Skymet said that monsoon rainfall picked up somewhat in the second and third week of this month, but was inadequate over most parts of India owing to the growing impact of El Nino.
“The tail end of the month was expected to fire a few monsoon bursts, particularly over the areas which needed them most, but failed to reach the mark,” Skymet said in its report.
El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator, is typically associated with lower monsoon rains in India.
