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Jamshedpur, June 26: A drifting monsoon trough is going to keep the rains away from Jharkhand over the next few days, though the same phenomena has meant downpours in Sikkim, Tripura, north Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Patna Meteorological Office today said rainfall in Jharkhand would be less intense over the next three days as the monsoon trough — a broad area of low atmospheric pressure running east-west through the tropics between June and September — had shifted north.
Thus, mainland Jharkhand and its neighbouring states would be relatively dry, till the trough drifts back again to its normal position, said A.K. Sen, director of the Patna Met office.
This was the first time the trough had shifted from Jharkhand after the onset of monsoon on June 19. However, the senior Met official said there would not be a complete lull. “Isolated places in Jharkhand will continue to get light showers due to the rain-bearing clouds,” he said.
In Met parlance, the prevailing condition is called “oscillation period”, which usually lasts three to four days. If the monsoon trough is not restored by then, a condition called break monsoon would set in, when the monsoon currents will draw moisture from Jharkhand and its neighbouring states, leading to rainfall in the foothills of the Himalayas. Break monsoon conditions last seven to 10 days.
Reinforcing the Patna Met office predictions, director of Ranchi Met Office G.K. Mohanty said there would be no significant change in weather conditions in the next few days. “Scattered rainfall will continue, but there is little possibility of heavy rain,” he said.
The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore in Calcutta also ruled out heavy showers, but held out faint hope.
“A strong depression over Bay of Bengal can help restore the drifting trough. However, a strong depression seems unlikely in the next four or five days,” said a duty officer.
According to data available, the rain--meter had been stagnant in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Daltonganj for more than 24 hours now.
The June rain count of the state currently stands at 122mm, against a normal of 135mm, or a deficit of 10 per cent. To cover the deficit, the skies need to pour another 70-80mm of rain in the four remaining days of the month.
Individually, Ranchi faces a rainfall deficit of 33 per cent. Against an average normal of 136.3mm, Ranchi has so far has received 91.2mm.
Other districts facing a rain shortfall are Gumla (77 per cent), Ramgarh (46 per cent), Seraikela-Kharsawan (56 per cent) and Deoghar (83 per cent). Garhwa tops with a rainfall deficit of 99 per cent.
On the other hand, East Singhbhum has recorded 8 per cent surplus rainfall. The district received 183.5mm of rain against a normal of 170mm. Khunti topped the chart with a 103 per cent surplus. Against a normal of 136mm, Khunti recorded an impressive 276mm. Several other districts like Koderma, Latehar, Lohardaga and Simdega also notched surplus figures.
The lack of rainfall activity has resulted in an increase in maximum temperature in most places. Bokaro today recorded a maximum of 38.9°C against yesterday’s 32.2°C, a rise of six degrees and one degree above normal.
Similarly, the day temperatures also shot up by 2-3 degrees in Ranchi, Daltonganj, Deoghar, Hazaribagh, Koderma and several other districts.
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