Jamshedpur: The wait is finally over. The southwest monsoon arrived in Jharkhand on Monday, 15 days behind schedule, but with heavy rain on radar.
The IMD centres in Ranchi and Patna issued special bulletins in the afternoon declaring the advent of the four-month rainy season. The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore, Calcutta, too sent a confirmation.
"Monsoon has set over Jharkhand. It has covered south-eastern and north-eastern parts of the state. The remaining areas will be covered in the next 48 hours," said B.K. Mandal, the director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
The northern limit of monsoon passed through Veraval, Amreli and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, Amravati and Gondia in Maharashtra, Titlagarh and Angul in Odisha, Supaul in Bihar and Jamshedpur.
Mandal said satellite pictures predicted rainfall and thunder in many places in the next 48 hours. "We have issued heavy rain alert in isolated pockets, especially southern and north-eastern districts," he added.
Normally, monsoon reaches Jharkhand on June 10. But, the southwest current has been delayed for the past few years. In both 2017 and 2016, it was delayed by six days. In 2015, the rains arrived on June 21, 11 days behind schedule. The year before, annual monsoon rain soaked the state from June 18. In 2013 and 2011, the southwest monsoon had hit the state on June 16 while in 2012, it had arrived on June 19. In 2010, the rain-bearing winds were delayed till July 4.
According to Met data, several places experienced light to moderate pre-monsoon showers in the past 24 hours.
Massanjore (Dumka) topped the rain chart with around 140mm while Ghatshila in East Singhbhum experienced 130mm. Jamtara and Maithon in Dhanbad recorded 100mm each while Bokaro soaked in 90mm.
Papunki in Godda received 80mm; Pathargama (Godda), Govindpur (Dhanbad) and Deoghar recorded 40mm each; and Amrapara (Pakur), Putki, Panchet and Tundi (all in Dhanbad) read 30mm each.
Weathermen in Alipore said a cyclonic circulation was prevailing over northwest Bay of Bengal, 7.6km above the mean sea level, and this was resulting in heavy moisture incursion into the atmosphere.
"The atmospheric system is creating favourable conditions for further advancement of the southwest current," said a duty officer, adding that the monsoon would have arrived in Jharkhand by mid-June had not the flow become weak after it entered parts of Bengal on June 11. After its complete onset, the monsoon normally stretches till the first week of October and the average rainfall during this period is around 1,100mm. This year, the IMD has forecast normal monsoon in Jharkhand.
