With the third consecutive low pressure system developing in the Bay of Bengal in November, southern peninsular India is bracing for more rain this week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday that a well marked low pressure area prevailed over the north Andaman Sea, and this system in the coming days will travel towards the east coast. The southern peninsula has received continuous rainfall since the beginning of November. Many areas along southern Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Mahe, coastal Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reported very heavy rain from 70mm to 220mm in 24 hours over the weekend. Some minor incidents of landslide were reported from Kanyakumari-Nagercoil route in Tamil Nadu. "The low pressure prevailing over the Andaman Sea will become more marked by Monday. This system will further intensify to become a depression around November 17 and move west-northwestwards and reach near south Andhra Pradesh coast by November 18," the IMD's system forecast said. As a result, Andaman and Nicobar, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe, Karnataka and Lakshadweep will receive heavy to very heavy rain and experience lightning and thunderstorms. Due to rough sea conditions and gusty winds with speeds of 45-50 km/hr likely in the next five days, fishermen have been warned against venturing into the deep sea. The ongoing extremely heavy rain spell over Kerala, IMD officials said, will subside after Monday even though heavy spells at isolated places will continue. Since November 1, Kerala has recorded 119 per cent surplus rain and its neighbouring states have also recorded excess rain - Tamil Nadu (97 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (96 per cent), Karnataka (123 per cent) and Odisha (74 per cent). Last week's low pressure system - now weakened into a cyclonic circulation - continues to prevail over south interior Karnataka and north Tamil Nadu. The IMD on Sunday said a fresh low pressure area is likely to develop in the east-central Arabian Sea, off the Maharashtra-Goa coast by Wednesday.
