The weather patterns across the country are once again changing rapidly. A new and powerful weather system is now going to knock in the South-Eastern Bay of Bengal amid the drastic drop in temperature and onset of mild cold in North India due to the impact of Cyclone ‘Arnab’ and active Western Disturbance. According to the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the depression formed in the Bay of Bengal is rapidly deepening and turning into a new cyclonic storm. This seasonal system is moving in the north-west direction with strong winds of about 80 to 90 kilometers per hour and may hit the coastal states in the first week of November. Due to the impact of this cyclonic movement, the Meteorological Department has issued a comprehensive alert of heavy rain, strong storm, lightning and waterlogging in 16 states and union territories of the country.
According to meteorologists, the cyclonic circulation over the South Andaman Sea and the adjacent south-eastern Bay of Bengal has now turned into a deep depression. It is clear from the latest satellite images that this system is continuously sucking moisture from the sea and is taking the form of a cyclonic storm at a very high speed. According to the IMD Director General, this probable cyclone will reach west-central Bay of Bengal by the evening of November 2 and may hit the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha by the morning of November 3. During this period, there is a possibility of high waves in the sea and wind gusts in coastal areas can reach a speed of 100 km per hour. The Meteorological Department has issued a strict warning to fishermen not to venture into the deep sea and to exercise special caution at coastal ports for the next four days.
The most severe impact of the new cyclonic storm will be seen on the southern and eastern coastal states:
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Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam: There has been a warning of extremely heavy rainfall from November 1 to November 4. There is a danger of low-lying areas being inundated and electric poles falling in coastal districts like Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Machilipatnam and Nellore.
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Odisha: An ‘orange alert’ has been issued for torrential rains with gusty winds of 50 to 70 kmph on November 3 and 4 in Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada and Koraput districts of South Odisha.
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Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala: The combined effect of the North-East Monsoon and this cyclonic disturbance is expected to cause heavy to very heavy rainfall over Chennai, Nilgiris, Coimbatore and most parts of coastal Tamil Nadu and Kerala for the next three to four days.
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Telangana and Chhattisgarh: As the direction of winds changes due to the impact of the storm, there is every possibility of heavy rains along with thunderstorms in the districts of Telangana and South Chhattisgarh from 1 to 3 November.
In the plains of Eastern India, the most acute impact of seasonal changes is being seen on Bihar. Patna Meteorological Center has issued a warning of heavy rain and thunderstorm (thunderstorm) in several districts of the state for the next 48 hours:
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Red Alert: ‘Red alert’ has been issued for extremely heavy rain and intense lightning in Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts.
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Orange Alert: Due to possibility of strong gale (40-50 km/hr) and heavy rain in Patna, Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur, Rohtas and Aurangabad districts, people have been advised not to go out in the open.
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Yellow Alert: Moderate rain with thunder is also expected in Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Araria, Bhagalpur and Munger of Seemanchal and East Bihar. Farmers have been instructed to keep the ripe paddy crop at safe places.
After sporadic rains and strong winds for the last two days in the plains of North-West India, the weather is now moving towards becoming dry:
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Uttar Pradesh: The weather in Western UP (Noida, Meerut, Agra, Bareilly) will be completely clear and dry from November 1. At the same time, due to the outer clouds of the cyclone in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and surrounding areas), light drizzle or sporadic rain may be seen at isolated places between November 1 and 3, although there is no alert of any major danger.
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Delhi-NCR: Rain and strong winds have cleared pollution particles in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, recording unprecedented improvement in air quality (AQI). The capital may remain partly cloudy on November 1, but there is no chance of rain. The maximum day temperature will drop to 29°C and the minimum night temperature will drop to 16°C to 17°C, which will intensify the feeling of pink chill in the morning and late night.
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Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh: The effect of western disturbance in Rajasthan has now subsided and there will be sunshine in most parts. On the other hand, eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur, Rewa, Shahdol) may receive light to moderate rainfall from the Bay of Bengal system.
Fresh snowfall has been recorded in the high mountain areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to western disturbance. A white sheet of snow has spread on the upper peaks of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla, Kedarnath and Badrinath. Although the weather will clear up in the plains and mid-hill areas from November 1, the icy north-westerly winds coming from there will bring an additional drop of 3 to 4 degrees in the temperatures of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Western UP. By the end of the first week of November, the need for warm clothes will be felt throughout North India.
IMD and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) have issued guidelines for residents of vulnerable areas:
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Restrictions for fishermen: Between November 1 and 4, coastal fishermen of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha should not take boats into the sea.
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Protection from lightning: Avoid standing in open fields, under trees or near iron poles during thunderstorms and thunderstorms in rural areas of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
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Crop Protection: Farmers whose Kharif crops (especially paddy) have been harvested and lying in the fields, should immediately cover the crops with tarpaulin or transport them to warehouses in view of the upcoming rains.
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Waterlogging and traffic: Administrations of coastal cities have been instructed to keep sewerage pumps active and relocate people from weak and dilapidated structures to safer places.