Heavy rainfall to lash coastal Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh; IMD issues red alert

📌 Summary:

• Season's first depression has formed over the Bay of Bengal; eight states across India's central region and west coast are expected to receive extremely heavy to heavy rainfall over the next two days

• IMD issued a red alert for Chhattisgarh, Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra, and eastern Gujarat; extremely heavy spells (over 200 mm in 24 hours) likely in Chhattisgarh, Konkan and eastern Gujarat; very heavy rainfall is 110-200 mm/24 hours

• Record 24-hour totals on Maharashtra's west coast: Bhira in Raigad 386 mm, Tamhini in Pune 310 mm, Shrigaon in Palghar 275 mm, Colaba in Mumbai 265 mm; Odisha's Kandhamal, Cuttack and Nawapara recorded 190-280 mm

• The depression was located south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha) and is likely to cross the north Odisha coast between Chandbali and Digha, then move across north Odisha-north Chhattisgarh, bringing widespread rain along its path

• Monsoon status: June ended with a 30% deficit (99.5 mm); all-India deficit improved to -24%; the northern limit of monsoon runs through Jamnagar, Udaipur, Ajmer, Jhunjhunu, Hisar and Bathinda; normal date for covering the entire country is July 8

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 Geography — monsoon depressions, Bay of Bengal systems, monsoon advance; GS3 Disaster Management — early warning and colour-coded alerts

📝 Prelims Facts:

• IMD colour codes: red alert = take action; extremely heavy rainfall = >200 mm in 24 hours; very heavy = 110-200 mm
• Monsoon depressions typically form over the Bay of Bengal and track west-northwest across central India
• Normal date for southwest monsoon to cover the entire country: July 8

🔑 Key Term: Depression — a low-pressure system with wind speeds of 31-49 km/h (on the IMD cyclonic disturbance scale, between well-marked low and deep depression); Bay of Bengal depressions drive much of the monsoon rainfall over central India