IMD forecasts heavy showers

Pune: After welcome showers on Saturday, the weather department has said that heavy rainfall can be expected in the next four days.
On Saturday, Pune recorded 1.2mm rainfall by 8.30pm, while maximum and minimum temperatures stood at 29.9 degrees and 22.5 degrees. Lohegaon's rainfall figure was 1mm till 5.30pm.
Officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city is expected to receive scattered rain till the end of next week."Till June 30, the city and surrounding areas will receive intermittent to moderate rain," an IMD official said.
Overall rainfall for June, till Saturday, has been much less than normal. From June 1, the city received around 46 mm rain, which is 64.6 mm less than normal. However, IMD officials said that rainfall will be heavy from July.
"Over the next week, showers in central Maharashtra and Marathwada are expected to be scattered. The Konkan coast and Goa, however, are expected to receive normal rainfall for this period," said PCS Rao of the weather forecasting department, IMD.
IMD has also told farmers in central Maharashtra, Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha to sow seeds in time. "Farmers must take advantage of the showers by completing the preparatory tilling of the land and continue sowing kharif crops," an IMD official of the agromet department said.
Kharif sowing yet to pick up Till June 17, sowing of kharif crop was done only on 2% (2.94 lakh hectare) of the 1.49 crore hectare land that grows the crop in the state. Last year, sowing was completed on 8.60 lakh hectare, according to the department of agriculture's sowing report.