India: New monsoon low threatens flooding this week

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather meteorologist

By Eric Leister, AccuWeather meteorologist

July 17,2017, 9:36:47AM,EDT

 

 

Another monsoon low forming in the Bay of Bengal will lead to heavy rain and potential flooding across India this week.
On the heels of heavy rain and flooding across a large swath of India last week, a monsoon low developing in the Bay of Bengal will threaten more heavy rain and flooding this week.
While the first of the lows will exit Gujarat into the Arabian Sea early this week, causing heavy rain to lessen in the west, showers and thunderstorms will be on the increase across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Maharashtra and northern Andhra Pradesh.

The new monsoon low will track northwest across the country, reaching northwest India by this weekend.
Rainfall totals will average 100-200 mm (4-8 inches), with local amounts over 300 mm (12 inches) from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to northern Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The heaviest downpours will shift into Madhya Pradesh and northern Maharashtra during the middle of the week before moving into Gujarat by late in the week and into the weekend.
Monsoon lows such as this are essential for bringing rainfall across India during the monsoon, but they can also threaten widespread flooding. This low will be no different, as flooding will be common along the track of the low with a heightened risk for mudslides as well.
Elsewhere across central and northern India, scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop on a daily basis; however, the threat for flooding will remain minimal.
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During the past several weeks, flooding in northeastern India has contributed to 83 deaths, according to Reuters .
Assam was hit the hardest, with 53 lives lost in floods and landslides. Roughly 2 million people have been displaced, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told Reuters.
The city of North Lakhimpur was inundated with more than 340 mm (13 inches) of rain early last week. The Brahmaputra River and its tributaries significantly overflowed their banks but have since started to recede.
The heavy rainfall in Assam has also flooded more than half of the Kaziranga National Park , which is home to the world’s largest one-horned rhinoceros population.
Heavy rainfall is not expected across Assam early this week; however, localized downpours can still result in additional flooding. The threat for widespread downpours will increase this weekend.