PUNE AND its neighbouring areas will receive moderate rainfall during the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. Since October 1, the city has received 58.5mm of rainfall. Maharashtra is currently experiencing the influence of cyclonic circulation, which lay over coastal Andhra Pradesh. A trough from this system is running through Telangana, Vidarbha and west Madhya Pradesh extending till Uttar Pradesh. “Due to this cyclonic circulation, moisture-laden winds are being pulled from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal over Maharashtra. Rainfall activity over Maharashtra will increase during the next two days,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather forecasting division at IMD, Pune. Rainfall will mostly be seen during the afternoon or evening with one or two intense spells with the potential to cause flash flooding, inundation of roads and windy conditions resulting in the uprooting of trees, the IMD said. Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Dhule, Pune, Nandurbar, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Beed and Osmanabad districts will also witness thunderstorms, lightning and rainfall till October 8, the forecast said. Another fresh cyclonic circulation is expected to develop off the Gujarat coast further strengthening the westerly winds blowing in from the Arabian Sea over Maharashtra, Kashyapi added. Meanwhile, the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon continues to remain slow. As of Thursday, the withdrawal line passed through Uttarkashi, Nazibabad, Agra, Gwalior, Ratlam and Bharuch. Due to the presence of the cyclonic circulation over UP, which remains on ‘red’ alert till Friday any further withdrawal of monsoon is not expected till the weekend. Uttarakhand will receive heavy rainfall during the next four days, according to the forecast.
