Monsoon has hit Jharkhand from South and East bringing in showers of hope of respite from heat and a good season for crops in the State. According to Ranchi office of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), monsoon has entered the State from Odhisa and Bengal will cover entire Jharkhand in next 48 hours.
In Jharkhand, monsoon has entered Dumka, Jamtara, Deoghar, areas of East Singhbhum with Ghatshila experiencing close to 90mm of rain on the first day of the monsoon.
The met department has predicted that in the next 24 to 48 hours entire Jharkhand will witness monsoon clouds and showers that will intensify further. Although weather forecasts a monsoon with five per cent deficiency in rainfall in the country including Jharkhand, the Ranchi office of the department is confident that rainfall will be about the same level.
“Going by the initial trends it appears that monsoon will be normal in Jharkhand,” said Forecast Officer at IMD Ranchi, RK Mahto.
Despite monsoon hitting eastern and northern Jharkhand, Ranchi is likely to experience a monsoon delayed by only few hours. The capital has been experiencing severe heat conditions hence the monsoon essentially means an end to the ordeal as the temperature is likely to slide down in next few days.
According to weathermen, rain and thunderstorm (RATS) may occur in next few hours and the maximum temperature is likely to drop to 31 whereas minimum will be 23 degrees. The State has been reeling under heat wave conditions for the last fortnight with the maximum temperature hovering around 40 to 46 degrees Celsius.
The pre-monsoon showers had brought respite to Ranchiites and in next three days heavy rain is likely to end the spell of heat wave for the remaining part of the year. An advancing monsoon is likely to result in the rainfall of about 90mm to 100mm at some of the places in Jharkhand.
Predictions of normal monsoon with rainfall in the usual range augur well for the farmers of Jharkhand. The cloud full of droplets of water is also carrying promises of better harvest of Kharif crops in Jharkhand this year and also an expectation that drought will not surface its ugly face like on earlier occasions.
“Jharkhand gets about 1100 to 1200-mm of rain during monsoon and from the initial forecasts it appears that this year too rainfall will be at the same level. It will be good for Kharif crops,” added the Forecast Officer.