{News} 080721 Rainfall in peninsula may improve

Rainfall in peninsula may improve

ASHOK B SHARMA

Posted online: Monday , July 21, 2008 at 02:00 hrs

Indian Express Newspapers


The July rainfall has practically disappointed the farmers in the southern peninsula, Gujarat, Maharashtra and parts of northeastern India. The official weather forecasting agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not extended any immediate hope for the revival of the situation. Its numerical weather predication models have said "subdued rainfall activity would continue over central and western India in the next three to four days."


The US-based Centre for Ocean Land Atmosphere Administration (COLA) in its short-term forecast for the period till July 26 has also confirmed low rainfall of 20 to 35 mm in western and parts of central and southern India. It however predicted heavy rainfall of over 150 mm in the heartland of north India, eastern and northeastern India, Andhra Pradesh and parts of central India.


According to COLA, the situation is likely to improve after July 27, when most parts of the country would receive good showers.


The other US-based agencies like Climate Prediction Centre, National Centres for Environmental Prediction and weather service of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have noted the transition from La Nina to neutral conditions in the central and east-central equitorial Pacific during June.


La Nina or cooling of Pacific waters below normal is usually responsible for good rains and the country enjoyed good rains in June, this year.


However, the possibility of emergence of the spoilsport, El Nino (warming of Pacific waters) is ruled out. This dispels the apprehensions of a severe drought year to an extent.


Weather conditions also depends upon the surrounding seas surface temperatures (SSTs), the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) predicted "a weak positive dipole" in the equatorial Indian Ocean with slightly below average SSTs near Indonesia and slightly above average SSTs near the African coast.


July rainfall is crucial for Indian agriculture in the 4-month SW-Monsoon season. IMD has predicted country would receive rainfall amounting to 98% of its long period average of 293 mm on cumulative basis in July, subject to a model error of +/-9%. Till the middle of the month the cumulative rainfall has been 321.8 mm which 4% more than the normal.


But Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and parts of northeastern India did not receive good rainfall and as a result sowing operations were badly affected in these areas. Sowing operations for groundnut, red gram, black gram, green gram, cotton, sugarcane and millets like jowar were badly affected.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Rainfall-in-peninsula-may-improve/338211/

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