Northeast Monsoon to Set Over Rayalaseema

Visakhapatnam: The southwest monsoon is likely to withdraw around October 16 after giving the region an extended rainfall spell through multiple monsoon systems.

Simultaneously, the northeast monsoon is likely to set in over Rayalaseema region.

IMD Amaravati said the skies may remain partly cloudy in some areas and some districts would experience heavy rainfall for the next two to three days.

The southwest monsoon’s journey this year has been rather unique. It made a record early onset over AP on May 26 - arriving nine days ahead of schedule. Within a short span, the monsoon covered the entire state.

Thereafter, the monsoon’s course remained stalled for some time, triggering a dry spell across Rayalaseema as well as coastal Andhra Pradesh. It resumed progress in the third week of June.

The monsoon season commenced in June with a 31 per cent rainfall deficit, marking a weak start. In July, the state continued to experience poor distribution of rain, reducing the deficit to 24 per cent.

It picked up momentum from August due to a series of low-pressure areas over the Bay of Bengal, resulting in AP receiving 39 per cent above normal rainfall. This excess precipitation boosted kharif crop activities. Heavy rains in August and September subsequently eliminated the rainfall deficit in the state, giving the state a surplus rainfall of two per cent by the time the monsoon officially ended on September 30.

The conditions are favourable for withdrawal of southwest monsoon from the state likely around October 16 and the setting in of northeast monsoon the same day, said weather scientist at IMD-Amaravati, S. Karunasagar. The northeast monsoon is categorized by a reversal of winds that brings rain to parts of Rayalaseema region and few parts of coastal AP and parts of Tamil Nadu.

However, the northeast monsoon is variable and the rainfall during the period depends on various factors, he added.