Weather report: IMD predicts light to moderate rains over Rajasthan, Haryana

New Delhi, May 15: Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in India, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted light to moderate intensity rains over Haryana, Rajasthan and its adjoining areas in the next two hours.

taking to Twitter the IMD said, "Light to moderate intensity rain with wind speed 20-40 kmph would occur over Viratnagar, Kotputly, Alwar, Jhunjunu, Pilani, Rajghar, Laxmangarh, Bayana (Rajasthan), Narnaul, Tizara, Mahendergarh (Haryana) and adjoining areas during next 2 hours".

"Mahendergarh (Haryana) and adjoining areas during next 2 hours", tweeted IMD.

Meanwhile, the advance of the southwest monsoon over Indian mainland is marked by monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterizing the transition from a hot and dry season to a rainy season, informed a press release by IMD yesterday evening.

It can be seen that the IMD has been issuing operational forecasts for the date of monsoon onset over Kerala from 2005 onwards. An indigenously developed state-of-the-art statistical model with a model error of - 4 days is used for this purpose.

The 6 Predictors used in the models are; i) Minimum Temperatures over North-west India, ii) Pre-monsoon rainfall peak over south Peninsula, iii) Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) over south China Sea, (iv) Lower tropospheric zonal wind over the southeast Indian Ocean, (v) upper tropospheric zonal wind over the east equatorial Indian Ocean, and (vi) Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) over the southwest Pacific region.