The first clear signal of a decisive shift in the weather over the South Peninsula has emerged, with India Meteorological Department (IMD) identifying an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the Gulf of Thailand as a potential harbinger of the ensuing north-east monsoon.
The development comes as the country draws towards the close of a south-west monsoon season marked by severe regional deficits, raising hopes of a second rainy season for the South Peninsula even as the retreating monsoon leaves its own unsettled legacy.
The Bay of Bengal appears poised to set the next phase in motion. The IMD expects the circulation over the Gulf of Thailand to move westward under the influence of accompanying easterlies and emerge over the Andaman Sea by Sunday. It may deepen as a low-pressure area over the adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal by Tuesday, potentially setting in motion a fresh round of rain-bearing weather system.
