Monsoon alert: Satellite spots massive rain clouds dumping heavy rain over Gujarat

INSAT-3DS imagery showed a vast rain-bearing cloud mass over Gujarat linked to a low-pressure area. The system is likely to keep heavy rain active in western India while scattered afternoon showers emerge across the northern plains.

In Short

• INSAT-3DS infrared imagery shows dense high cloud tops over western India
• Easterly winds are building cumulus clouds across the northern plains
• Delhi-NCR and nearby states may get brief afternoon rain and thunderstorms

A vast shield of rain-bearing clouds has enveloped large parts of Gujarat, with the latest satellite imagery showing an active weather system continuing to fuel heavy rainfall over the state.

The thermal infrared image captured by INSAT-3DS on Sunday shows a large concentration of dense, high cloud tops over western and central India, particularly around Gujarat and adjoining regions. The cloud mass is associated with a low-pressure area, which continues to draw moisture and trigger spells of heavy rain.

Gujarat has remained under the influence of the system, with widespread cloudiness and intense convective activity visible from space.

The low-pressure area is expected to continue influencing weather over parts of western India, keeping the possibility of heavy rainfall alive in several areas.

Meanwhile, weather activity is also beginning to emerge across the northern plains.

Easterly winds continue to dominate the region, transporting moisture and creating favourable conditions for the development of cumulus clouds. As daytime heating increases, these clouds are expected to grow rapidly, potentially triggering quick spells of rain and thunderstorms.

As the afternoon progresses, parts of Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh could witness brief spells of moderate to occasionally slightly heavy rainfall.

However, the rainfall is unlikely to cover the entire region uniformly.

Such weather activity is typically highly localised, with geographical coverage expected to remain limited to around 20 to 30 per cent of the affected areas. This means some neighbourhoods may experience a sudden downpour, while nearby locations could remain largely dry.

The most active window for these passing showers is expected to be between 1 pm and 7 pm, when daytime heating and moisture availability are likely to provide favourable conditions for cloud development.

Residents of Delhi-NCR and adjoining northern states may therefore see rapidly changing skies through the afternoon, bright sunshine in one area, followed by dark clouds and a quick burst of rain in another.

The satellite picture underlines the contrasting nature of India's late-monsoon weather.

While a large low-pressure system continues to generate extensive rain clouds over Gujarat and western India, more scattered and short-lived convective showers are beginning to pop up across the northern plains.

For now, Gujarat remains under the watch of an active rain-bearing system, while northern India braces for another afternoon of unpredictable monsoon showers.

- Ends