PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, June 18: The southwest monsoon arrived in Jharkhand on Saturday, three days later than scheduled.
IMD’s Ranchi and Patna Met Centres issued special bulletins on Saturday afternoon confirming the entry of the southwest monsoon in Jharkhand from the northeastern part of the state.
Weathermen at the IMD’s Ranchi Met Centre said the monsoon currents advanced into Jharkhand on Saturday.
A special bulletin issued by the Met centre said southwest monsoon has set in over Jharkhand today and covered several districts of north- eastern Jharkhand including Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur and some parts of Dumka.
Notably, as per the new dates worked out by IMD since 2020, the normal monsoon arrival date for Jharkhand has been revised from June 10 to June 15. Accordingly, the monsoon has arrived after a delay of three days in Jharkhand.
Last year (2021), the onset of monsoon in Jharkhand was declared on June 12, three days earlier than the schedule. In 2020 monsoon had arrived on June 13, two days early than its schedule.
“The southwest monsoon has set in over Jharkhand. It entered the state through the northeast and covered several districts including Sahebganj, Pakur, Godda and Dumka. The complete onset over the state is expected in another 24 to 48 hours as conditions are favourable,” said Abhishek Anand, head of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
The Ranchi Met Centre issued an alert for heavy rain in southern, central and north-eastern districts of Jharkhand in the next few days due to an active monsoon coupled with a low-pressure area.
Weathermen advised people to keep a watch on the weather and protect themselves from lightning strikes.
Data suggests Jamshedpur recorded the highest rainfall of 65mm in the last 24 hours (8.30 am on Friday to 8.30 am on Saturday).
Met statistics revealed that in 2019, the southwest monsoon reached Jharkhand on June 21, after a delay of 11 days.
In 2018, the southwest monsoon had reached the Kerala coast three days early on May 29 but it reached Jharkhand on June 25, after a delay of 15 days, as the monsoon currents were weak. In 2017 and 2016, it was delayed by six days.
After its complete onset, the monsoon normally stretches till the first week of October and the average rainfall in Jharkhand during this period is around 1,100mm.
