PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, June 6: Increasing daytime temperatures coupled with dominating westerly wind patterns and high relative humidity pushed up the discomfort index in most parts of the state on Monday.
The steel city notched a discomfort index of 65 degrees, 10 degrees above normal while in places such as Daltonganj, Deoghar, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Hazaribagh, it hovered around 60 to 64 degrees
Ranchi read a discomfort index of 62 degrees, seven notches above normal.
Places such as Chaibasa (in West Singhbhum), adjoining Seraikela, Koderma, Giridih, Pakur and Godda too recorded a discomfort index close to 60 degrees.
Weathermen said in the pre-monsoon months – April, May and June – relative humidity made the weather oppressive even when day readings were low.
A duty officer at the Ranchi Met centre said, “The cyclonic circulation over sub-Himalayan Bengal extending up to 0.8 km above mean sea level and an east-west trough at 0.9km above mean sea level between eastern Jharkhand and Assam were helping in moisture inflow. This has pushed up the discomfort index. Respite is expected only after heavy showers.”
Day temperature has witnessed a rise in many places over the past two days. This prompted IMD’s Ranchi Met Centre to issue a heat wave alert, especially in northwestern Jharkhand today.
Daltonganj, the Palamau headquarters which falls in north western parts of the state topped the Celsius chart with around 42 degrees for the second consecutive day on Monday. Bokaro and Giridih recorded around 41 degrees Celsius while Ramgarh recorded over 42 degrees Celsius. Ranchi and Jamshedpur recorded around 38 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Morning and noon were uncomfortable in the Kolhan region, comprising East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan, on Monday.
The Ranchi Met centre issued a forecast of dry weather in the state in the next four days. No warnings were issued for adverse weather except for isolated thundershowers in the next 48 hours.
