Jamshedpur, July 23: The rain god is at his generous best. A state that reeled under two consecutive years of drought received a bounty of 35mm average rainfall on a single day, floating hopes of a prosperous agricultural season after a long time. The low-pressure area, which was hovering over the Bay, has intensified further. Weathermen said a low- pressure area was also persisting over northwest Bay of Bengal along with an associated cyclonic circulation extending upto 7.6km above mean sea level.
Heavy showers lashed several parts of Jharkhand in the past 24 hours, courtesy a stagnant and deep depression over Gangetic Bengal and Bangladesh. Statistics revealed all the 24 districts experienced medium to heavy rainfall since yesterday. “The downpour is the result of a deep depression, which lay centered 80km north-east of Kolkata. However, it is expected to weaken in a day since it has hit land,” said an official of Patna Meteorological Office.
In its forecast, the Patna Met office predicted widespread showers across Jharkhand in the next 24 hours. It also extended a torrential rain warning at a few places. Weathermen said the rainfall in June had touched 50 mm in Jamshedpur and 90mm in Ranchi. Last year, both cities had received less than 25mm of rain in this month. Besides raising hopes of a good crop season, the widespread rainfall has also tamed the mercury.
Both maximum and minimum readings have nosedived. Jamshedpur today recorded a day temperature of 28.4°C against yesterday’s 30.5°C. The reading is eight degrees below normal. Ranchi, on the other hand, recorded 28.2°C against yesterday’s 29.5°C. Relative humidity, however, reached as high as 95 per cent in the morning.
Weather analysts said that the monsoon would remain active in Jharkhand unlike last year, when it had become dormant soon after arrival. Several parts of Jharkhand, including Jamshedpur, Koderma, Hazaribagh and Deoghar, soaked in showers today. The local weather office in the steel city registered around 8 mm.
So far, after the onset of the monsoon, Jharkhand has actually received 414mm rain against a normal of 431mm, a deficit of four per cent. Data suggests that as many as 14 districts, including Ranchi, Dhanbad, Dumka and Palamau, figure in the rain surplus list while 10 districts figure in the rain losers list. Weathermen said the heavy rain during the next 24 hours will help in minimising the deficit.
