A couple share an umbrella while walking at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Monday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Weathermen are virtually stumped. Despite favourable conditions and forecast of heavy rains in the state, there has been no significant downpour in the city in the past 48 hours.

While north Bihar is receiving continuous downpour over the past three days, central and southern parts of the state are faced with scanty rainfall conditions. This anomaly in rainfall distribution in the state has left weathermen confused.

Having failed in their predictions over the past two days and uncertainty hovering over the fate of clouds, the local met department forecast moderate rains in Patna on Monday, just what they had forecast in the past two days.

“The monsoon trough line is passing through Uttar Pradesh-Bihar-Sub-Himalayan Bengal-Assam. The position of the trough line, passing across central Bihar, is extremely favourable for heavy rainfall across the state. A cyclonic circulation is also lying over the state for the past 48 hours. The monsoon current is also active over the entire country. It is due to such favourable weather conditions that an all India warning for heavy rainfall in Bihar was issued by our headquarters in Delhi on Saturday,” said Ashish Sen, director, India Meteorological Department, Patna.

“But despite the favourable conditions, the rains have been concentrated in districts in north-east and north-west Bihar and very less rainfall has been recorded at most places in south and central Bihar. In fact, most places in north Bihar are getting 30 to 50 per cent surplus rain but districts in south and central Bihar, including Patna, are receiving similar level of deficient rainfall. Such huge anomaly in rainfall distribution was totally unexpected and we are still to assess the reason behind it,” Sen further said.

Earlier, the met department had predicted a rainy weekend in Patna but it wasn’t so. But for a few drizzles, there was hardly any rain and the high level of humidity irked most residents. “My daughter comes home from school around 12 noon. She was drenched in sweat when she entered home today. I allowed her to bathe a second time,” said Jaya Kumari of Kurgi.

Between June 1 and July 8, Bihar received 231mm of rain against the expected 252mm, a deficiency of eight per cent. Patna, on the other hand, received 142mm rain against the normal 205mm, a deficiency of 31 per cent.

The Met department on Monday claimed that central and south Bihar would see increased rainfall from tomorrow. “Based on prevailing weather conditions, we are expecting higher rainfall in south and central Bihar over the next 48 hours, but the heavy rains in north Bihar would reduce in intensity during the same time,” said Sen.