South-West Monsoon this year likely to be Normal

IMD’s long range forecast for the 2010 south-west monsoon season (June to September) is that the rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be Normal.

Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall is likely to be 98% of the long period average with a model error of ± 5%. The Long period average rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1941-1990 is 89 cm. IMD will update the above forecast in June 2010 as a part of the second stage forecast. Separate forecasts for the monthly (July and August) rainfall over the country as a whole and seasonal (June-September) rainfall over the four geographical regions of India will also be issued. The El Nino conditions over equatorial Pacific that remained weak during mid June to October of 2009 started strengthening from late October and peaked in the 3rd week of December. From late December, the El Nino conditions have started weakening. The latest forecasts from a majority of the dynamical and statistical models indicate high probability for the present El Nino conditions to maintain till early part of the monsoon season and then weaken to become near neutral during the subsequent months. However, a few models indicate development of weak La Niña conditions by July-August 2010. It may be mentioned that as the lead time of the forecast increases there is considerable spread and uncertainty in the ENSO forecasts. IMD has an experimental dynamical forecast system. The experimental ensemble dynamical forecast for the 2010 south-west monsoon rainfall was computed as the ensemble average of 10 member forecasts with forecasted sea surface temperatures (SST) as boundary SST forcing. In addition, IMD has taken into account the experimental forecasts prepared by the national institutes like Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation, Bangalore and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Noida. Operational/experimental forecasts prepared by international institutes like the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, USA, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, USA, Meteorological Office, UK, the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, UK , the Experimental Climate Prediction Center, USA, and World Meteorological Organization’s Lead Centre for Long Range Forecasting - Multi-Model Ensemble were also taken into account.
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Heatwave in Telangana, isolated rain in Rayalaseema

Hyderabad, Apr 23: Heatwave conditions prevailed over the districts of Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar and Warangal of Telangana, while isolated rain occurred over Rayalaseema.Punganur and Thambalapalle in Chittoor district recorded rainfall of 5 and one cm each, the Met department said.The maximum temperatures fell at a few places in Rayalaseema and at one or two places in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They were significantly above normal at one or two places in the remaining districts of Telangana and above normal at a few places in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema. The highest maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius was recorded at Ramagundam.Isolated rain/thundershowers may occur over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Rayalaseema. Heatwave conditions would prevail over the districts of Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad and Warangal of Telangana during next 24 hours.Thunder clouds could develop during evening/night in the city while maximum and minimum temperatures would hover around 43 and 29 degrees Celsius respectively.
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CBI urges court to conduct Satyam trial by video conferencing

Hyderabad, Apr 23: With main accused in Satyam scam case B.Ramalinga Raju continuing to remain in the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for treatment of heart ailment and Hepatitis C since September last year, the CBI today urged the Special court judge to try the case, involving Rupees 7,800 crore financial fraud through video conferencing facility.Special court judge B V L N Chakravarti, after the CBI's plea, adjourned the hearing in the case to April 30.NIMS submitted to the Special Court Judge that Raju might contract serious infections if he was taken out of the hospital. Suspecting that Raju had been evading hearing on the pretext of health conditions, the CBI counsel pleaded the court for holding the trial through video conferencing. The main accused had held frequent meetings with friends and relatives on a regular basis while being in the hospital, the CBI contended.Raju, currently in judicial custody, has been keeping away from court on health grounds, first for heart disease and then for Hepatitis C.Meanwhile, the Special judge granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate to question four Satyam employees, named accused in the case, between April 26 and 29.
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CPI(M) presses for united Andhra Pradesh before Srikrishna panel

Hyderabad, Apr 23: A delegation of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) today appeared before the Srikrishna committee constituted by the Centre to study the 'situation' in Andhra Pradesh in the wake of strident demand for separate Telangana and pressed for keeping the state united.The delegation led by CPI(M) State Secretary B V Raghavulu argued that development would be affected in the event of bifurcation of the state. This could be very much evident when three new states were created by the then BJP-led National Democratic Front government at the Centre, he said.The party was also against redrawing the map of the country drawn on linguisitic basis in 1956. Any attempt to meddle with the present map of the country would only amount to opening of the pandora's box, Mr Raghavulu told mediapersons ahead of appearing before the Committee headed by Justice B N Srikrishna.Differing with the CPI(M), the CPI had yesterday argued for creation of separate Telangana state. The party after an elaborate discussion within the party had given up its ''Vishalandhra'' (united Andhra Pradesh) stand in favour of smaller Telangana state. It rooted for separate state to address the issue of socio-economic backwardness in the Telangana region.The panel had already started its job of eliciting the views of cross-section of the people with its members Ravinder Kaur and Abusaleh Shariff, extensively touring the Telangana and Rayalseema regions.
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