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SUPERCELL
The 26th July deluge in Mumbai has prompted the Meteorological Institute in Pune,
to conduct a study into the weather system that prevailed on that day, as also
the rainfall pattern in Mumbai over the past hundred years. They have come up
with a ‘SUPERCELL’. This is not a solution for the flooding that invariably
follows a heavy downpour, nor a committee to address the issues involved. A
Supercell is a huge self-sustaining thunderstorm.
Some of the characteristics of this thunderstorm are: its bell shaped base is 20
km to 50 km across; the cloud itself is towering, cylindrical shaped and on top
of that an anvil that can stretch for hundreds of kilometres. Normal
thunderstorms are short-lived because the warm air driving the updraft is soon
choked off by the downdraft caused by the condensing of the vapour at higher
altitudes. In the Supercell storm, the updraft rotates at great speed and this
ensures that it does not collide with the downdraft but the two movements
continue for a much longer time. Hence, the huge deluge of 26/7 was spread over
many hours.
The results of the study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology, Pune has thrown up some interesting facts. The study has revealed
that heavy rainfall days in Mumbai have been increasing over the years. Also the
total rainfall is due more to these heavy downpours, rather than a steady
drizzle over the monsoon months. The probability of ‘heavy rain’ days is greater
in the third week of June and the fourth week of July.
Will it be possible to predict such Supercell storms? As per the study, a
Supercell requires a highly unstable atmosphere, strong veering winds and high
energy moisture, because of which it would be possible to identify the formation
of such a thunderstorm. However, it requires a Doppler radar to do this
accurately. The Meteorology Department does not have one presently, but the
warning seems to be that be ready for heavy deluges in the future.
FEUDING STARS
Currently newspapers are reporting feuds raging within prominent families.
Family disputes between brothers, cousins, children and parents are hogging the
headlines. Astrologers who have studied numerology have an explanation. They say
that the year 2005 adds up to 7, which is ruled by the Moon and Neptune causing
the feuds.
The way to avoid feuding and breaking up of families, is to keep a cool head,
but many of the famous names involved are known for their hotheads rather than
cool ones. The astrologers have predicted a continuation of the feuds, as
numerology indicates that 2006 will add up to a similar situation. |
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