Over the next seven days, the weather bureau predicts that unseasonal rain will halt farming activities in eastern and central India. It has released orange warnings for West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of central Maharashtra, advising authorities to be ready in the event of disruption caused by these weather incidents.
"Thunderstorm with lightning, hail, gusty winds, squall over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Jharkhand and Bihar on 30th April; Odisha on 30th April and 01st May; Gangetic West Bengal, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada on 30th April till 02nd May; Vidarbha and Telangana on 01st May," said a note from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
"Farming activities can be halted during the incident," the IMD note went on to say. In West Bengal and Odisha, current paddy, sesame, and various vegetable plantations may be affected, while damage in central India may be limited to a delay in sowing cotton plantations, which normally begin in May.
This unusually wet spell is due to a cyclonic circulation over central India. There is also a chance of hail in certain areas, according to IMD. The weather office stated the following regarding the potential effect of this weather event: "Plantations, horticulture, and standing crops will be harmed by strong winds and hail. Hail can cause injury to people and livestock in open areas."
This year's southwest monsoon is expected to be 98 percent of its long-term average, according to IMD's stage one forecast released earlier this month, making it the third consecutive year of normal or above-normal monsoon. By late May, as the meteorological conditions are clearer as the critical weather system approaches, a more accurate outlook will be available.
