Dry wind from Afghan changes weather pattern
The rain received during the wet period is making up for the entire month and meeting the required average.
HYDERABAD: The SouthWest Monsoon this year has been quite sporadic. For over three months now, beginning in June, the pattern of rainfall has either been very high or there has been a prolonged dry spell. July and August, considered to be peak monsoon months, witnessed heavy to very heavy rainfall for a week or 10 days and then dry weather prevailed for the rest of the month.
In the past, the monsoon season has also brought flash rains (high-intensity rainfall for a short duration) that have led to urban floods. However, the rainfall pattern currently, is prolonged rainfall ranging from moderate to heavy or a total dry spell. The rain received during the wet period is making up for the entire month and meeting the required average.
Chief Meteorologist Mahesh Palawat of Skymet –a private weather observatory, explained, “Rainfall was consistent throughout June. However, an ‘anti-cyclonic’ weather pattern developed over southern Afghanistan which forced westerly winds that were dry in nature to Central and South India. This restricted the rain in the second half of July and the first 10 days of August, so the state reported dry weather for half the month.”
“Another factor was the monsoon ‘trough’ which boosts monsoon currents. This remained along the foothills of the Himalayas, forcing dry winds to prevail over central-south India. Telangana falls under this belt,” Palawat added. Even if the South–West monsoon currents were stationed over the state, they needed an extra boost to increase the intensity of rainfall. Successive weather patterns, like the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal added moisture to the winds leading to cloud formation and subsequently rainfall.
A weather pattern takes 4-5 days to develop over the giant water body, which travels inland towards west, giving Telangana good rainfall. The time intervals between each rainfall depends on the progress of the weather system, so there is a week or 10 days gap between spells, added Mr Palawat. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a fresh weather warning for the state. “An upper air cyclonic circulation is lying over the north-west Bay of Bengal.