Drenching bouts of rainfall in State

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/21/stories/2010052162030400.htm

(My monsoon-watch story in The Hindu on May 21)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The whole of Kerala snuggled under a blanket of swirling rainclouds on Thursday to enjoy drenching bouts of rainfall.

The severe cyclonic storm Laila battering Andhra Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu was spinning centred at a point close to the coast of Andhra Pradesh at 2.30 p.m., according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD's) bulletin for the day. It was slated to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast and turn right into Orissa and weaken.

Animated charts of the IMD tracing its movement showed the system drawing the winds from southwest Indian Ocean into a streamline across south Kerala towards northeast by Sunday, an ideal situation for the monsoon conditions to set in over the State. The northern limit of the monsoon on Thursday was still more than 1,000 km to the south of the southern tip of the State. Its progress into Kerala earlier than the usual June 1 call date now hinges on the dynamics of Laila up the country's east coast.

Heavy rainfall

Alappuzha and nearby Cherthala received a heavy rainfall of 8 cm during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday. Kozha in Kottayam district received 7 cm of rainfall. Several other stations measured rainfall ranging between 6 cm and 1 cm on the gauge. ‘Most places' is the term used by the IMD, which means hardly any station had gone without measurable rainfall during the day.

The prospects are for continued rainfall during the next two days.

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