The monsoon continued its vigorous run over the State on Tuesday, raising the fear whether Onam celebrations this time would get drenched in rain.
The low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal that ignited the ongoing vigorous monsoon spell over the State siphoning the westerly winds across the peninsula since August 28 has floated northwest across the Indian subcontinent and on Tuesday lay over Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea.
Normally, the heavy rainfall belt of a weather system that takes such a track will move northward along the west coast, leaving Kerala, lying at the southern tip of the west coast, to clear skies by the time it floats to its present position.
However, even as this weather system is causing very heavy downpour now in Saurashtra and Kutch, Gujarat region and adjoining West Madhya Pradesh, the pull on the westerly winds from the Arabian Sea across the southern part of the west coast towards the Bay of Bengal side of the peninsula is continuing strongly.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said yet another low pressure system ‘might’ form over northwest Bay of Bengal within the next two days.
The back to back formation of low pressure systems over the bay, ideally located to cause downpour along the southern part of the west coast, may stretch the ongoing spell of rainfall over Kerala into the Onam days. Thiruvonan Day falls on September 7 this time.
It is, however, too early for a definite forecast.
The IMD, in its bulletin on Saturday, said ‘fairly widespread rainfall’ would occur in Kerala till Wednesday, followed by ‘scattered rainfall’ on Thursday.
The IMD expects ‘no significant change’ in the weather during the subsequent four days.
