Wheat growing areas may receive rainfall next week

Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, March 13  The Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services sees renewed western disturbance activity over northwest India from mid-week next week.
The wheat-growing belt here is desperately looking out for one round of showers. And CPC predictions seem to promise just that for Punjab, northeast Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand will start getting showers from March 18 onwards, but the plains are expected to get their due from March 21. The wet weather may hold up to March 24, according to the CPC, which provides forecasts for up to 14 days, based on initial conditions prevailing on the day of forecast (March 11, in the instant case).
HEATING UP, TOO Around this time, the maximum mercury belt is forecast to reach northwest India, east and northeast India, pushed north as it would be by a string of thundershowers over peninsular and central India.
The maximum heating would, however, return to the peninsular east from March 19. The forecasts largely hold true, except when unforeseen atmospheric events intervene and get simulated in succeeding forecasts.
MORE RAINS India Meteorological Department (IMD) too has mounted a watch for thundershowers breaking out over the central peninsula (Maharashtra and adjoining areas of Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh) for at least three days from Saturday.
This is attributed to west-to-southwesterly flows generated deep down from the peninsular latitudes.
A string of cyclonic circulations has already shown up over west and central India to spearhead weather under their respective regions.