Rain eases over Keralam as cyclone makes landfall; mercury set to climb

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With severe cyclonic storm Arnab making landfall along the Andhra coast, rainfall activity is likely to ease considerably across Keralam. With the rains subsiding, daytime temperatures are expected to rise noticeably across the State. The dry spell is likely to persist until another weather system develops over the Bay of Bengal, with the mercury expected to climb during the intervening period.

The very severe cyclonic storm, which made landfall on Wednesday, is expectedto weaken during the next six hours and further weaken into a deep depression over the subsequent six hours, according to a weather forecast issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, another upper-air cyclonic circulation lies over the south Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood, extending up to 5.8 km above mean sea level. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is likely to form over the same region during the next 24 hours.

However, it is too early to forecast the system’s influence on the weather over Keralam. The extended forecast issued by the IMD does not indicate any major rainfall activity over Keralam during the next week, with weak easterlies expected to prevail over the central parts of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

Meanwhile, two back-to-back weather systems that developed over the Bay of Bengal during the second half of October helped Keralam bridge its rainfall deficiency. The State recorded 269.1 mm of rainfall as of Wednesday, against the normal 278.7 mm for the northeast monsoon season, leaving a marginal shortfall of 3%. Temperatures have also started to climb with the reduction in rainfall, with several places in the State recording departures of 3–4 degrees Celsius above normal.