Goa: Met warns of very heavy rain till weekend

PANAJI: The India meteorological department (IMD), Panaji, has warned of heavy to very heavy rain this week, and even warned the public to abstain from outdoor activities as much as possible from Wednesday to Friday. The department said that Tuesday is likely to see heavy thundershowers accompanied by lightning and gusty winds.
IMD has said that the deluge expected later this week could cause flooding in lowlying and other susceptible areas, as well as disruptions to municipal services like electricity and water.The department also said that Wednesday to Friday may see weak trees getting uprooted.
Heavy rain batters Karnataka, Kerala
At least five people were killed and properties damaged in Karnataka in the last two days, while extremely heavy rainfall battered Kerala on Monday. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next two days in 12 Kerala districts. P 6
Airlines ask fliers to report early
In view of the weather forecast for Goa, airlines have issued an alert to fliers. Airlines have also warned that arrivals and departures could get affected due to the weather conditions. Passengers taking flights from Goa have been asked to report in advance. “Due to bad weather at Goa, all departures and arrivals might get affected,” SpiceJet said on Monday. TNN
Diwali is likely to be extremely wet, says IMD
While stating that slippery roads could cause minor vehicular accidents, it also said that major roads could also get affected, impacting travel times.
Due to a low pressure area over eastcentral Arabian sea likely to intensify into a well-marked low pressure and then into a depression within 48 hours, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for Monday and Tuesday and an orange alert from Wednesday to Friday. “This year, Diwali is likely to be extremely wet due to rain,” director K Padgalwar said.
The week began, too, with rainfall in many centres, with Sakhali recording the heaviest rainfall of 69.3mm while Valpoi recorded a moderateamount of 49.7mm, Mormugao 44.4 and Old Goa 29mm. All other centres recorded some rainfall, though on a lesser scale.
The quantum of rain, which is likely to increase over the next few days, adds to the woes presented by the bumper rainfall the southwest monsoon left in its trail.
The four-month season recorded a surplus of 33% for the first time in years. On Monday, the post-monsoon surplus also shot up to 55% from 33% on Sunday, as IMD, Panaji so far recorded 198.4mm of rainfall in just twenty one days while 130.9mm is normal at this stage.