PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 8: The worst is yet to come. The relentless heatwave which has been continuing in Jharkhand, especially north-western parts for the last 11 days is expected to continue for another four days, warned IMD officials today.
As usual, it was a scorching Friday across Jharkhand with most districts recording day temperatures of 40°C and above, prompting the Met Office to extend the heatwave condition alert till April 12.
Jamshedpur, which recorded an oppressive 41°C for the second consecutive day — three notches above normal — is likely to witness a moderate heatwave after the next 24 hours.
In capital Ranchi, the day’s reading touched 39°C for the second day in a row, around four notches above normal.
According to Met officials, the day temperature in the state capital was expected to cross 41°C in the next 48 hours.
Daltonganj was the hottest on Friday with the mercury touching the 43-degree mark for the second consecutive day, four notches above normal.
Weather experts said the day’s reading was expected to rise in Palamau and in other districts of north-western Jharkhand due to dry weather conditions.
In the next 48 hours, the worst-affected districts would be Giridih, Garhwa, Palamau, Latehar, Lohardaga, and Gumla where day’s readings are expected to be three to four notches above normal.
Both Ranchi and Patna Met centers predicted that the dry spell would continue in Jharkhand for the next few days.
“The entire state is in the grip of westerly winds which usually spike maximum readings. The weather chart also indicated that westerly winds were dominating the state,” said a weather analyst at Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
The current spell of the heatwave has been continuing for the last eleven days since March 29, which is a record in recent years.
There is no hope of rain or thunderstorm activity in the next few days though Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas this afternoon saw clouds and dust storms accompanied by light showers which were due to the impact of local weather conditions.
