Jamshedpur, Jan 25: The day-long rain in the city on Sunday has brought a drip in the mercury making the weather chilly. Meteorologically, the cold-season begins in December and stretches over January to early February; however, light rain has changed the weather conditions on Chotanagpur plateau region.
Overcast sky and sporadic showers at different pockets of the region pushed the temperature further down. The city witnessed 10 MM of rainfall that increased coolness in the air.
The denizens woke up to a cloudy morning and the drizzle continued sporadically throughout the day. The chill in the air forced the citizens to wrap themselves in warm clothes.
The Met further predicted that temperature during the night may also take a sharp dip by two to four degrees across the region.
Officials of the local weather department said that the sudden change in temperature is due to the formation of a cyclonic circulation over Gangetic Bengal that resulted in rain. The Met office predicted that the squally weather conditions may continue for a couple of days with the depression threatening to strengthen further.
““The cyclonic circulation has also affected the wind pattern. Till last evening, north-westerly winds were dominating over the State, but due to the impact of the cyclonic circulation, the wind pattern
changed to easterly, which usually helps raise night temperatures,” explained a senior official of the local Met office.
Officials at both Ranchi and Patna IMD offices issued a special bulletin, attributing the predictions to two atmospheric systems. ” An induced cyclonic circulation due to the impact of western disturbance was extending upto 1.5 km above mean sea level over east Rajasthan and adjoining northwest Madhya Pradesh. This coupled with an anti-cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal is resulting
in heavy moisture incursion into the atmosphere. The twin systems would result in formation of clouds and a change in wind pattern from north-westerly to southerly resulting in adverse weather over Jharkhand,” said an official of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
The Met office director said light to moderate rain and thunder showers were likely at a few places, especially in the district of North Jharkhand during the next 24 hours. Light to moderate rain and thunder would also take place at a few isolated places in southeast Jharkhand.
” We have also issued an alert of hail accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning at a few isolated places during the next 24 hours,” said the official.
The official went on to say that the adverse weather would prolong winter’s stay in Jharkhand. ” Under normal circumstances winter departs Jharkhand by mid-February. But, the current change in weather system would extend the winter in Jharkhand,” said the official, adding that winter might get extended beyond February 22 as they were expecting another western disturbance which would impact Jharkhand’s weather around that time.
The adverse weather would result in a rise in minimum readings by two to three degree Celsius in the next two days. Weathermen said minimum readings would again witness an abrupt fall after the impact of the cyclonic circulation wanes.