The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

NATION

Read under headings Max (maximum temperature), Min (minimum temperature), R (rainfall in past 24 hours) and TR (Total rain since January 1):

Station	Max	Min	R	TR
Ahmedabad	41	29	0	14
Allahabad	39	29	0	28
Aurangabad	37	25	0	1
Bangalore	33	21	2	386
Baroda	40	39	0	0
Bhavnagar	36	25	0	10
Bhopal	38	24	10	69
Bhubaneswar	40	26	6	189
Bhuj	37	27	0	0
Chennai	40	29	0	111
Dehra Dun	33	19	50	212
Gangtok	21	15	0	854
Guwahati	33	24	0	509
Hyderabad	39	27	0	76
Indore	37	24	0	21
Jaipur	38	27	0	59
Jammu	41	30	—	—
Jamshedpur	37	26	3	196
Kolkata	36	25	100	303
Lucknow	37	26	0	52
Mahabaleshwar	—	18	tr	69
Mumbai	32	26	10	20
Minicoy	33	24	29	350
Nagpur	41	27	0	82
New Delhi	36	24	1	61
Panjim	32	26	1	152
Pune	33	24	0	4
Rajkot	35	27	0	4
Ranchi	33	23	0	105
Ratnagiri	32	26	6	126
Shimla	26	13	10	263
Sholapur	37	24	0	44
Srinagar	31	13	0	146
Surat	37	27	0	0
Tiruchirapalli	39	28	0	110
Thiruvananthapuram	32	25	tr	410
Visakhapatnam	40	27	5	64

Normal monsoon predicted
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 28
Not only farmers but also traders, businessmen, industrialists and the labour class should feel happy as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted another normal spell of monsoon. This it is a gladdening news, especially for Punjab, Haryana, J and K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In the absence of adequate water resources the farming community, in these states, by and large depends on the monsoon. Even states like Punjab having a good canal network depend on the monsoon as the feeding source of most of the canals is Gobind Sagar and other reservoirs.

The IMD in its prediction bulletin has stated that “over the three homogeneous regions of India, the rainfall during the 2001 southwest monsoon season is likely to be 100 per cent of its long period average (LPA) over the northwest India, 96 per cent over the peninsula and 100 per cent over northeast India with an estimated model error of 8 per cent.

Last year the actual rainfall during the monsoon was 422 mm against the normal 503 mm. Though it falls in the normal rainfall category as per the parameters laid down by the IMD, it was down by 16 per cent. In Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, the actual rainfall last year was 447 mm against the normal 513 mm.

Districts like Hisar, Sirsa, Mohendragarh and Gurgaon had a deficient rainfall last year. It means that the rainfall was over 20 per cent less than the normal in these districts. It is a rainfed area and deficient rainfall proved to be a setback for these districts. However, this time the IMD has predicted a good spell of rain in the drought-hit areas of Rajasthan, Western and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and West Bengal. Because of the drought, the production of foodgrains fell to 196 million tonnes from 208 million tonnes last year.

The monsoon is expected to arrive in the region in the last week of June as per the indications. However, some experts feel that the cyclonic disturbances in the Arabian sea may push the monsoon early to certain states especially Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

When asked about the widespread rain in the region in the past 24 hours, Mr S.C. Bhan, Regional Director of the IMD here, said that it was because of a cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan and the nearby areas of Pakistan. The cyclonic system from Rajasthan moved eastward yesterday and reached here and certain parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh early this morning. He said that more rainfall in the next 48 hours was possible as the second cyclonic system had been activated from the same region — northwest Rajasthan — early this morning.

He said today’s rain had no connection with the cyclonic disturbances in the Arabian sea near Gujarat. Reports reaching his office here said the rain was widespread. Asked about the heat wave in this region, Mr Bhan said that the temperature would usually hover around 43° C to 45° C.

Thundershowers in region
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28
Rainfall: Rain or thundershowers have been reported at many places in Haryana, at few places in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttaranchal and at isolated places in east Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh. Weather was mainly dry in the rest of the region. The chief amounts of rainfall in centimetres are: Haryana: Ambala, Narnaul and Rewari 3 each, Bahadurgarh 2 and Ayanagar (Delhi), Chandigarh, Chhachhrauli, Rohtak and Sampla 1 each, Himachal Pradesh: Berthin, Barsar, Dharampur, Kahu, Kasol, Rampur Bushar and Shimla 1 each, Punjab: Dasuya and Patiala 2 each and Halwara and Nabha 1 each, Rajasthan: Pilani 4 and Uttaranchal: Dehra Dun 5.

Temperature: Past 24 hours change: Maximum temperatures fell appreciably in Haryana, fell in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, east Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal, rose in Jammu and Kashmir and changed little in west Rajasthan.

Departures: They were appreciably below normal in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, below normal in Punjab, east Rajasthan and Uttaranchal, appreciably above normal in Jammu and Kashmir and normal in the rest of the region. The highest temperature in the region was 43.0°C recorded at Sirsa (Haryana) and Bathinda (Punjab).

Forecast valid until the morning of May 30: Rain or thundershowers will occur at many places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, at a few places in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places in the rest of the region. Thundersqualls are likely at isolated places in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh.

Forecast for Delhi and neighbourhood valid until the morning of May 30: Generally cloudy sky with a few showers/thundershowers accompanied with squall in some areas. Maximum temperature will be around 39°C.

Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi valid until the morning of May 30: Light to moderate rain will occur at a few places.

Squalls with wind speed exceeding 65 km per hour are likely at isolated places.

Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change.