The CM has asked all the 51 district collectors to be alert and agile to deal with the flood situation and extend immediate help to the people in distress.
Kharif crops were sown in only 4.15 lakh hectares against the target of 28.27 lakh hectares till July 21 or only in 14.71 per cent of the arable land.
'Already, the temperature has touched 39 degrees in some parts of Gujarat and now we are in the last week of February.' 'We need to activate the heat action plan from March 1.'
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat on Thursday evening with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph as heavy rains lashed the coastal region, where several areas plunged into darkness due to power cuts and a large number of trees, electric poles and hoardings got uprooted.
Cooler weather meant that demand for milk products and value-added items like buttermilk and ice-cream did not show the usual rise.
The state has suffered losses of Rs 4,000 crore and the figure is likely to go up as estimates continue to pour in, he said.
There was some respite in cold conditions in Kashmir as the mercury went up by several degrees at most places after four days of virtual free fall.
Tamil Nadu continued to experience monsoon fury, with heavy rains pounding various parts of the state under the influence of a well marked low pressure area over Bay of Bengal, as the death toll from rain-related incidents climbed to 59.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the situation arising out of the likely formation of Cyclone Jawad that is expected to hit the North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast and directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated.
There were no reports of loss of life due to the cyclone which uprooted trees. Incidents of wall collapse were reported from some parts of Tamil Nadu, state Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar said.
West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety as severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' is nearing the coast and is expected to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning.
Climate change has hampered the ability of the forecasting agencies to accurately predict severe events and weather bureaus across the world are focusing on augmenting the observational network density and the weather prediction modelling to improve predictability, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has said.
The mercury at the Safdarjung Observatory is expected to breach the 43-degree mark on Thursday and touch 44 degrees Celsius by Friday, according to the India meteorological department.
A red alert has been sounded in three districts of Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad in Kerala.
It rained in the periphery of Delhi -- Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh and Karnal in Haryana -- but clouds hovered over the national capital, without giving any relief from the heat.
No lives were lost after cyclone Biparjoy made landfall. Preparations for Biparjoy were not only extensive, they were also telecast far and wide. Ahead of the cyclone's landfall, Shyam G Menon observes there was considerable publicity on how much the government was geared up to face the storm and its aftermath.
Monsoon normally hits Kerala on June 1 but this year, Met department had predicted that it will hit the state on June 5.
June 1 is the official onset date of monsoon in India when it hits Kerala.
With rainfall and monsoons becoming highly unpredictable partly due to climate change and partly due to usual changes in weather patterns, it is such innovations by IMD which will help in planning better, reports Sanjeeb Mukherjee.
A likely western disturbance over north India during the weekend might cause heavy to very heavy showers in a few places, including New Delhi.
The IMD chief also allayed fears of occurrence of an El-Nino.
India received 41 per cent more rainfall than normal from October 1-21 with Uttarakhand alone recording more than five times its normal precipitation, IMD data showed on Thursday.
Heavy rainfall and high speed wind has badly affected normal life in Bihar in last 24 hours because of cyclonic storm Phailin impact of cyclonic storm. "More heavy rains are expected in Bihar in next 24 hours," a met department official said.
Five people, including a toddler, have been killed and over 100,000 people evacuated in Malaysia after one of the country's worst floods hit 4 states, forcing Prime Minister Najib Razak to cut short his holiday in the US.
An IMD bulletin said the low pressure area could intensify into a cyclonic storm, triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of Kerala.
Monsoon normally starts withdrawing beginning September 1 from west Rajasthan.
'There's also a possibility of the cyclonic system changing its course, thus avoiding a landfall in Odisha'
A DGCA official clarified that while Tuesday's order does permit off-duty pilots and off-duty cabin crew members to travel in the cockpit's jump seat, they will have to still undergo pre-flight alcohol test just like the pilots flying the plane.
As per the India Meteorological Department many districts in Maharashtra recorded maximum temperatures of 40 degree Celsius or above in the last two days.
Exactly a year after the very severe cyclonic storm Phailin struck the state, another storm is heading towards the Odisha coast.
Army was helping them in relief operation, Pal said, adding that around 1,200 people affected by flood were staying in five camps, including four put up in the city, he said.
According to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the air quality is considered to be in the emergency category if the PM2.5 and PM10 levels continue to be above 300 micrograms per cubic metre and 500 micrograms per cubic metre respectively for 48 hours or more.
An unspecified number of people were evacuated from coastal areas of Odisha where Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore were likely to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by high-velocity winds, particularly on May 19 and 20, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
Suburban services were disrupted with trains on all the three lines -- western, central and harbour -- running late.
Over 26 people have lost their lives country in the aftermath of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Nepal.
The cyclone on Tuesday passed the Mumbai coast and much to the relief of the people in Maharashtra's capital, just brought rains and there was no loss of life or damage to property
The IMD has also issued a red-coded warning alert to the Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
A new low pressure over south east Bay of Bengal was expected to bring more rains to Tamil Nadu, where the death toll rose to 184.
A low-pressure area, set to form over east central Bay of Bengal on May 22, is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and strike the Odisha-West Bengal coast on May 26, the Met department said on Thursday, sparking fears of another Amphan-like catastrophe.
Though the "eye of the storm" is away from land, the cyclone's outer periphery would leave its impact on the coast.
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