Isolated rainfalllikely inparts of state

Pune: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast isolated rainfall in parts of Maharashtra over the next few days, particularly in Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha from Monday. The activity is attributed to the interaction of an upper-level trough with moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.IMD scientist SD Sanap said the rainfall will be isolated and not widespread. "Rains are likely to be isolated. It is not going to be widespread or scattered," he said, clarifying that only a few locations are expected to receive precipitation.
According to the IMD's regional outlook maps, on Feb 23, isolated rainfall is likely over south and north Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada, while most parts of Vidarbha and Konkan are expected to remain dry. On Feb 24, the rainfall activity may extend to west and east Vidarbha, south Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada, with north Madhya Maharashtra and Konkan largely dry. By Feb 25, rainfall is expected to be confined mainly to parts of Vidarbha, with the rest of the state turning dry.Sanap attributed the expected rainfall to the continued dominance of easterly winds, which have led to moisture accumulation over the region. "For the last few days, easterlies have been dominating. In addition, a western disturbance, with an associated trough extending from west-central Uttar Pradesh to east Rajasthan, is likely to move towards central India. The interaction of this upper-level system with lower-level moisture from the Bay of Bengal may trigger some rainfall," he explained.He added that cloud cover has already been observed over parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, over the past two to three days, along with a rise in minimum temperatures.IMD indicated that minimum temperatures are not expected to change significantly over the next three days but may gradually fall by 2–4° during the subsequent three days. In parts of Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada, a reduction in night-time cloud cover after the rainfall episode could allow temperatures to dip.Daytime temperatures, however, are expected to remain close to current levels for now, with no sharp decline anticipated immediately.