Jamshedpur: Dry and crisp north-westerly wind prevails, temp to fall

Jamshedpur, Dec 6: The dry and crisp north-westerly wind will continue to dominate over Kolhan in the next few days and so will the chill and cold wave conditions, said weathermen today. “Favourable winter conditions have been prevailing over Jharkhand. Night temperatures are expected to remain below normal by 3-4°C  in another 72 hours or so with cold wave conditions in isolated pockets. Weather will remain dry over the state as we see no adverse system which will impact Jharkhand’s weather in another three to four days, ” said a weather scientist based at IMD’s Ranchi Met Centre.

Officials at the IMD headquarters in New Delhi said that the entire central and north-west India is in the grip of a cold wave. “Severe cold wave conditions ( when minimum temperature records a fall of six degrees or more below normal) was also prevailing at some places. As the north-westerly wind is blowing from the colder region it is also impacting weather conditions of Jharkhand and Bihar,” explained an IMD official. The official said that Jharkhand will continue to witness cold waves in pockets in the next three to four days. 

The capital today recorded a minimum of 5.7°C,  four notches below the average normal. Yesterday, the minimum reading in Ranchi had witnessed a rise. The local IMD observatory had recorded 12 °C, which was two notches below normal. But, today the mercury again witnessed a plunge. Daltonganj, the Palamau headquarters also witnessed a drop in mercury.

Met officials predicted a fall of another  two degrees in the next 72 hours.  In several other districts, including Koderma, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Ramgarh and Simdega, minimum temperature dropped by  one degree in the past 24 hours and in another two to three days the temperature was expected to register a drop of another two degree Celsius.

” The cold wind from the North will continue to blow till the time the high pressure belt persists. The north-westerly wind  which is prevailing over Jharkhand, will prompt night temperatures to dip by at least two  degrees in the next 48-hours. The downward trend is expected to continue for the next couple of days,” said an official.

The senior Met official said that the minimum temperatures will again witness a slight rise after the next couple of days before taking a plunge again. ” Winter is expected to be severe in the second week when the minimum temperatures would drop to seven degree Celsius in Ranchi and several other districts which are located on higher altitudes,” he said.