Chennai Rains (COMK)

Yesterday saw many parts of Tamil Nadu record moderate rains. In particular the districts of Erode, Namakkal, Madurai saw a places come under intense evening thunderstorms. The upper air Cyclonic Circulation has been playing a vital role in the enhancement of thunderstorms. Very severe cyclone Mekunu is now close to landfall over the coast of Oman / Yemen. Though showing signs of weakeness it’s still expected to pack a punch with wind speeds reaching 150 kmph at the time of landfall. Slowly we are seeing the monsoon surge inch towards Andaman Islands bringing the Bay onset window closer. The Upper [Read More]

As we get closer to the onset of Southwest Monsoon the most active phase of thunderstorms for Tamil Nadu is upon us.  The most intense thunderstorms are normally seen just before the onset of monsoon as a lot of moisture gets pumped into the atmosphere creating ideal conditions for instability driven thunderstorms to explode.  Yesterday saw parts of Trichy, Madurai, Namakkal, Erode, Salem & Coimbatore districts record good rains as isolated places saw intense thunderstorms late in the evening.  We had indicated in our yesterday’s post about how the last few days of thunderstorms are underway. Models indicate possibly Tamil Nadu [Read More]

As Monsoon dynamics churns slowly but steadily we are into the final leg of the pre monsoon thunderstorms.  We have mentioned quiet often the probabilities of thunderstorms or “Veppa Salanam” Rains as its announced over most Main Stream Media is primarily a Wind Instability aided thunderstorms assisted by day time convective heating under clear skies.  This Wind Induced Instability happens when the seasonal change happens between Westerlies to Easterlies during October & vice versa during April / May as a prelude to Northeast Monsoon & Southwest Monsoon respectively. In only the second instance of nearly 140 years of record keeping [Read More]

The countdown for Southwest Monsoon Onset has well and truly begun with North Indian Ocean getting active as the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone moves into Northern Hemisphere.  While the Westerlies have been slightly behind schedule they are expected to pick up pace as conducive conditions are estimated by models for a boost in monsoon dynamics.   With Arabian Sea all set to host a cyclone for second week in succession it will give a strong impetus for the Monsoon surge to move into the West coast of Indian Sub Continent by early next week for possibly a before normal onset.  As [Read More]