Heavy rain lashes Bistupur Main Road on Wednesday. The city notched 94mm in two hours. Pictures by Bhola Prasad

The rain god wore a dark grey cape of clouds on his first date with Jharkhand this year.

As many parts of the state received shower bounty to the tune of 90mm and above on Wednesday, the IMD offices in Patna and Ranchi announced the arrival of monsoon, eight days behind schedule.

Special bulletins said the southwest current had advanced into some parts of Jharkhand, including the Santhal Pargana and Chotanagpur Plateau regions.

“Monsoon hit Jharkhand today. The currents have covered around 60 per cent of the state. Conditions are favourable for further advancement, which will cover the rest of the state in 48 hours,” said A.K. Sen, the director of Patna Meteorological Centre.

Weathermen said the northern limit of monsoon was currently passing through Odisha, Bengal and Bihar, precisely Bhubaneswar, Baripada, Bankura, Darbhanga and Raxaul.

Sen said the annual rain-bearer would remain very active in Jharkhand till June 24. “A low-pressure area is building over the Bay of Bengal, which will continue to result in moderate to heavy showers,” he explained.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Calcutta issued a heavy rain alert in some places for the next two-days.

Jamshedpur soaked in the rain god’s largesse on Wednesday, recording 94mm in a straight two-hour downpour from 3.15pm. Ghatshila and Dalbhumgarh, also in East Singhbhum, received around 90mm since Tuesday night.

Capital Ranchi, despite its overcast conditions, failed to open a rich monsoon account and recorded only traces on Wednesday.

Better off were Dumka and Godda that experienced sharp showers in the afternoon. Jamtara, Ramgarh and Giridih recorded around 30mm rain.

A senior Met official in Ranchi said the southwest current had so far been held back by tropical cyclone Nanauk over the Arabian Sea. “But, the system has disintegrated and monsoon will gain pace.”

In 2013, the rain god had kept its date with Jharkhand on June 16 (see box). At the end of the four-month season, the state had registered a deficit of 23 per cent, which is considered negligible.

This year, the IMD has forecast below-normal rain owing to the El Nino effect. Climate analysts, however, believe that the delayed onset wouldn’t affect the overall rain show.