PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Oct 17: IMD’s Ranchi Meteorological Centre has predicted a dry and sunny Durga Puja in Jharkhand this year.
This year, the five-day Puja starts on October 20, Friday.
On October 20, 21 and 22 (Sashthi, Saptami and Ashtami), the weather in most districts of Jharkhand will be dry and the sky is expected to be bright and sunny.
On October 23 and 24 (Navami and Dashami) too, the weather is likely to be dry and clear in most parts, as per the Met Office predictions.
Puja organisers hope the forecast holds true. A rough estimate suggests that the entire state comprising 24 districts hosts over 1,200- odd Durga Pujas.
The monsoon’s retreat is marked by a change in the flow of wind. The moisture-laden winds from the Bay are no longer active over the state. Instead, dry winds from north and northwestern India are dominant in the upper tracts of the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, no significant synoptic condition prevails over Jharkhand.
North-westerly to northerly wind prevails over the state.
Dry weather prevailed over the state during the past 24 hours. The highest maximum temperature of 35.4°C was recorded at Daltonganj in the last 24 hours while the lowest minimum temperature of 16.5°C was recorded at Kanke, in the outskirts of Ranchi.