Heavy rains, thunderstorms likely in Maharashtra today, cyclone alert issued for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall over India’s western coast and north Maharashtra, and Gujarat starting from Wednesday (December 1) due to a low-pressure area off the Maharashtra coast. 

In addition to this, the IMD also said that low pressure over south Thailand is likely to emerge as a cyclonic storm over the east coast on December 4. The already rain- and flood-battered eastern coast is set to witness more rainfall as a low-pressure layover south Thailand and neighbourhood on Tuesday and is likely to emerge into the Andaman Sea by early Wednesday.

“Thereafter, it is likely to move west-north-westwards and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by December 2 and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours,” IMD said on Tuesday. 

Subsequently, it is likely to move north-westwards, intensify further and reach north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts around December 4 morning.

Light to moderate rainfall is expected at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely to commence over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha from evening/night of December 3 while on December 4, there will be light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy falls at isolated places very likely over coastal Odisha and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over adjoining interior districts of Odisha, coastal districts of West Bengal, and north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Then on December 5, light to moderate rainfall is predicted at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over West Bengal and adjoining north coastal Odisha.

The IMD also said that the northeastern states would also experience enhanced rainfall activity on December 5 and 6 with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall owing to the likely north-eastward movement of the remnant of the system during the same period.

Meanwhile, due to the low-pressure area off and over the Maharashtra coast, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall accompanied with isolated thunderstorms and light rainfall is expected over Gujarat, North Maharashtra, and northwest and adjoining central India during December 1 to 3.