Monsoon rains are showing no signs of easing in Jharkhand, with the weather office forecasting heavy showers across several districts, including the capital Ranchi, on Friday. A special weather warning has been issued for the day, cautioning that thunder and lightning could strike parts of the state while wind speeds touch 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. Officials say the spell of daily rain accompanied by strong winds is expected to continue right through 20 July.
Districts under heavy rain alert today
According to the forecast, the southern parts of Jharkhand and the adjoining central belt are likely to see intense rainfall on Friday. A heavy rain alert has been sounded for East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Simdega and Saraikela-Kharsawan districts. Nearby Khunti and Gumla could also witness patches of heavy downpour. Residents in these districts have been urged to stay alert and take necessary precautions.
Ranchi and ten other districts brace for Saturday showers
Rain activity is expected to remain intense into Saturday as well. The weather department has flagged the possibility of heavy rain at isolated places in Ranchi, Bokaro, Gumla, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Ramgarh, Lohardaga, Koderma, Dhanbad, Latehar and Chatra districts. There is little relief in sight on the temperature front for now, with no major change expected in the state's maximum temperature over the next two days. However, over the following three days, temperatures could dip by two to three degrees Celsius, offering some respite from the humid heat.
Rainfall and temperature over the last 24 hours
Light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder was recorded at several places across Jharkhand in the past 24 hours, while one location logged heavy rainfall. Manjhari in West Singhbhum received the highest rainfall in the state at 66.0 millimetres. On the temperature side, Pakur district was the hottest, recording a maximum of 36.3 degrees Celsius, while Latehar district logged the lowest minimum temperature at 22.0 degrees Celsius.
Chatra and Garhwa face drought-like conditions as Ranchi stays on track
Even though the monsoon is active across Jharkhand, rainfall distribution has been far from even. Ranchi has received 278.4 millimetres of rain between 1 June and 16 July, close to its normal for the period of 361.3 millimetres, which keeps the capital's rainfall status in the normal category. But barring Ranchi, no other district in the state has recorded satisfactory rainfall so far. Chatra and Garhwa are the worst affected. Chatra has received just 91.5 millimetres of rain, a deficit of 71% against normal, while Garhwa has logged only 81 millimetres, down 72% from what is expected. Deoghar's numbers are equally worrying, with just 145.1 millimetres of rainfall recorded there, a shortfall of 58% compared to normal.
