BHUBANESWAR:The south-west monsoon did not make any advancement in the State on Monday as the precipitation was sluggish in areas which have been covered by seasonal rains.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) made no change in the northern limit passing through the State although northern, central and coastal Odisha pockets received pre-monsoon showers. Chandanpur received close to 80 mm rain followed by 49 mm rain in Cuttack.
The aggregate rainfall for June 1-15 showed that Odisha has received 155 mm rain, three per cent more than normal. On the day, the rainfall was 78 mm. Koraput, Malkangiri and other southern districts received moderate rain while Sonepur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Angul received good rainfall.
The northern limit of the monsoon (NLM), however, acted weird as it passed through western Madhya Pradesh (MP) before covering eastern MP. The weather office almost remained uncertain about the progress of the monsoon. Parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh received very little rainfall too. Its all India weather warning suggested little rain for the State till June 19.
However, the sluggishness is expected to change from June 18 onwards. The IMD sources said existing conditions indicate a rise in rainfall activity in the State from June 17. From June 19 to 22, the rainfall activity will be strong.
This prediction mostly hinges on the formation of a low pressure over the Andhra Pradesh coast which is expected to activate the monsoon and trigger showers.
The system is likely to move through Andhra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Private weather forecaster Skymet said this system could turn out to be the first monsoon system of the season which will usher in stronger monsoon activity across most parts of North East India, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, along with parts of Central India including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The third week of June is expected to get good amount of rain in most parts of the country.
While the IMD remained tightlipped about the rain forecast, there are indications that the showers could peter out during the fourth week of the month.
