Low pressure may lead to more rainfall

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/26/stories/2010052659740600.htm

My monsoon-watch story in The Hindu on May 26:

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre's weather models on Tuesday showed a low pressure system persisting off the Kerala coast over the Lakshadweep Islands, causing an eddying of the water vapour currents at different levels of the atmosphere leading to precipitation.

This churning brought widespread rainfall in Kerala during the day. The system is seen to remain over the area for the next three days covered by the models and, therefore, the prospects are for more rainfall, heavy in some places, into the latter half of this week.

Satellite pictures at different hours during the course of the day showed rainclouds flowing from the westerly direction into the State's coastline, which is as it should be under ideal monsoon conditions (unless the direction is from the south-westerly direction).

During the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, Thiruvalla received 8 cm of rainfall, Varkala 6 cm and Irinjalakkuda, Cherthala, Chengannur, Vaikom, Aryankavu and Punalur 4 cm of rainfall each. More than a dozen other centres received between 3cm and 1 cm of rainfall on the gauge.

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