Goa: Met department issues red alert for Friday, forecasts 200mm rain

PANAJI: India meteorological department, Panaji, has issued a red alert across Goa for Friday and warned on Wednesday that the state may receive extremely heavy rainfall of 200mm at isolated places due to a cyclonic storm brewing in the Arabian Sea.
The weather office has also advised people to abstain from outdoor activities “as much as possible”.
On Tuesday, the Panaji Met office had said the state would witness heavy rainfall for three days—from Wednesday to Friday—and had issued an orange alert.
But the Met office upgraded it to a red alert for Friday after finding that the “well-marked low-pressure area” off the coast would turn into a depression in the next 24 hours and intensify into a cyclonic storm.
“The system, which is about 150km from Goa, will move north-eastwards in the Arabian Sea around October 25, and this will affect the state,” said Krishnamurty Padgalwar, director, IMD, Panaji.
After Friday, the system is expected to move away from Goa, the Met officials said.
On Thursday, heavy to very rainfall is expected in a few places and the intensity is likely to decrease from Sunday, the weathermen said.
Of the 23 days in October so far, there have been hardly four to five dry days. The post-seasonal rainfall total has touched 258.3mm and stands at a surplus of 87%. For the June to September monsoon season, Goa received 3,943.8mm rainfall, an excess of 33%.
The Met office has also warned of squally weather conditions with wind speeds reaching 45-55km per hour.
Fishermen have also been warned not to venture out to sea.
The meteorological department has warned about the possibility of power interruptions, landslides, uprooting of trees and disruptions in road, rail and air travel.