Though the Met officials had earlier predicted that the monsoon would hit Uttarakhand latest by Friday, there is no official confirmation of its arrival as yet. However, the Met department in Dehradun said on Friday that it might arrive in the State in the next 48 hours.
Notably, 21 June had been earlier fixed as the tentative date for the official arrival of the monsoon in the State.
The erratic nature of the monsoon is leaving the farmers who are dependent on the rains for irrigating their farm lands deeply worried. The duration of monsoon season in Uttarakhand is spanning around three and half months, starting from June 21 and closing on September 30.
However, pre-monsoon rains are being received for the past many days, giving relief to the people who were smarting under the sweltering heat of the summer.
With drizzling dragging throughout the day with varying intensity, the maximum temperature in Dehradun was much below the normal mark. It was around three notches below the normal in the city. The maximum temperature was 28.7 degree Celsius- three notches below the normal -in the city on Friday while the minimum was 22.8 degree Celsius –normal-, said the Dehradun Met department director Bikram Singh. He further informed that Dehradun experienced 98 per cent humidity on Friday while it was 96 per cent in New Tehri, 82 percent in Mukteshwar and 86 per cent in Pantnagar.
The highest maximum temperature of the state 35.4°C- one notch above the normal- was recorded at Pantnagar.
Singh said that the weather forecast for Uttarakhand on Saturday is generally cloudy sky with the possibility of light to moderate rain/thunder showers at many places.
The weather forecast for Dehradun on Saturday is generally cloudy sky with possible rain/thunder showers at some places.
The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30°Cand 24°C respectively in Dehradun on Saturday.
While 70 mm rainfall was reported in Nainital by 8.30 am on Friday over the past 24 hours it was 40 mm each in Jollygrant and Haldwani, 30 mm each in Ramnagar, Mussoorie, Haridwar and laksar, 20 mm in Dehradun, 13mm in Tehri, 20 mm in Mukteshwar and 13 mm in Pantnagar.