PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, May 31: Jharkhand is all set to witness an extended summer this year, thanks to IMD’s forecast of the late arrival of the monsoon.
Weather experts said that the maximum temperature would again witness a rise and that severe weather condition with high discomfort index is expected to torment the state at least till June 20.
The South-West monsoon usually reaches Kerala by June 1 but this year it is likely to reach by June 4.
The delayed arrival of monsoon over the Indian mainland would also be felt in Jharkhand.
The monsoon usually enters Jharkhand by June 15 but this year the season of rain is expected to arrive after June 20.
Hence the heat and humidity are expected to prevail until such time. This will directly affect agricultural activity too.
Rainfall is likely to be less than normal due to the delayed onset of the monsoon. Last year in 2022 too, the monsoon entered Jharkhand on June 18 with a delay of four days.
Meteorologists are citing global climatic changes as the reason for this year’s delay.
Farmers will be affected if there is a delay. Whenever the monsoon has been delayed in the state, there has been less rainfall than normal and this has directly affected the agriculture.
In fact, 1022.9 mm of rainfall in the four monsoon months- June to September is considered normal in the state.
Last year monsoon entered the state on June 18 and the four months of monsoon resulted in around 850 mm of rainfall.
Notably, last year’s ( 2022) monsoon arrived Kerala coast on May 29, two days after IMD’s prediction on May 27. The normal arrival date of the monsoon in the Kerala coast is June 1.
IMD officials in New Delhi said that the advancement of the southwest monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterizing the transition from a hot and dry season to a rainy season.
As the monsoon progresses northward, relief from scorching summer temperatures is experienced over the areas.
Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days.
IMD has been issuing operational forecasts for the date of monsoon onset over Kerala from 2005 onwards.
An indigenously developed state-of-the-art statistical model with a model error of ± 4 days is used for the purpose.
