PUNE: The next few days of Ganeshotsav are expected to be wet with the monsoon set to gather pace again. At least six districts in Maharashtra have been put on an orange alert for September 13-14 with chances of isolated heavy to very heavy rain in these regions, including Pune district’s ghat areas, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials told TOI on Friday.
There is a possibility of isolated heavy rain in various parts of Maharashtra during the next few days, with the intensity increasing further from Sunday evening for a couple of days.
The alert has come against the backdrop of a fairly strong low pressure system likely to develop over the central Bay of Bengal by Saturday morning. It is is very likely to strengthen and may concentrate into a depression over northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 48 hours with likely west-north west movement. Districts on a heavy rain alert during the next few days include the ghats of Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, among others.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting division of IMD Pune, said, “The heavy to very heavy rain forecast for isolated parts of Maharashtra has been issued with likely formation of the low pressure area and its west-northwestward movement and further intensification, as well as the simultaneous strengthening of lower level westerlies along the west coast.”
Kashyapi said that models so far are predicting the formation of the low pressure area in the next 12 hours. Already, huge masses of clouds can be seen over central Bay of Bengal, indicating the formation of the system. As per model consensus, there is 75% probability of its formation into a low pressure area, he added.
Since the system’s movement will be west northwestwards, central and northern parts of Maharashtra are likely to see an increase in rain activity, including heavy to very heavy rain in isolated parts in the ghats of Pune, Kolhapur and Satara districts on September 13-14, in addition to increased rainfall activity over Konkan during the period, Kashyapi said. Rainfall activity is likely to increase from Sunday evening.
For Pune city, IMD has forecast light rain for the next few days, but officials said weather models and other parameters will have to be observed critically for a couple of days to gauge the actual rain.
