PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 30: Season’s first Nor’wester hit Jamshedpur and several other parts of Jharkhand on Saturday, resulting in lightning and thundershowers.
The storm, the first in April, originated from the Chhotanagpur plateau area this afternoon and covered places like Ramgarh, Jamtara and Dhanbad before hitting the eastern part of Ranchi and later Khunti, Jamshedpur and other parts of Kolhan on Saturday evening with wind speeds touching 40 kmph.
The storm, which was accompanied by rain and lightning, brought respite from the oppressive heat which the state has been experiencing for the last few weeks. Some places also witnessed hailstorms.
Weathermen said excessive heat coupled with a prevailing cyclonic circulation hovering 1.5km above sea level triggered the Nor’wester.
Ramgarh experienced a one-minute squall. Jamshedpur recorded 5 mm rain while Chaibasa in West Singhbhum got 2 mm rain. Ghatshila in East Singhbhum experienced around 10mm of rain.
A duty officer at IMD’s Ranchi Met Centre said, “The Nor’wester gained momentum due to the cyclonic circulation over Bihar and Jharkhand. A partly cloudy sky with light rain and thunderstorm is also expected at isolated places over Jharkhand during the next two days.”
The day temperatures witnessed a sudden drop in several districts of Jharkhand due to the thundershowers’ activity.
