A wily weather god gave Jharkhand an unexpected ‘high five’ on Sunday, prompting Met officials to declare cold wave conditions in several parts of the state for the first time this winter.

Ranchi, Daltonganj and Bokaro experienced the season’s coldest day with minimum temperatures plummeting to around 5°C, five to six notches below normal. Jharkhand freezer Kanke, on the outskirts of the capital, was a bone-numbing 3.5°C, six notches below normal.

Jamshedpur recorded its second coldest day of the season with a minimum of 8.7°C, three notches below normal. On Saturday, the steel city was a tad colder at 8.6°C. Darisai near Ghatshila in East Singhbhum district was also a member of the chill club with a reading of 6.2°C, four degrees below normal.

Minimum temperatures in many districts like Koderma, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Latehar, Dhanbad, Giridih, Deoghar, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan too witnessed a downward trend in the past 24 hours.

A cold wave is declared when at least three Met observatories record minimum readings five notches below normal, said R.S. Sharma, an IMD scientist in Ranchi.

“The entire state is in the grip of the North Wind, which will drag down minimum temperatures further in the next 24 hours. The chill has intensified because of the strong and dry currents. Heavy snowfall in northern India is adding to the crispness of the weather in Jharkhand,” Sharma said.

Kids covered head to toe in woollens make a pretty picture in Bistupur, Jamshedpur, on Sunday. (Bhola Prasad)

The senior weatherman said Sunday’s chart analysis prompted their cold wave bulletin for parts of Jharkhand. “The cold wave is likely to continue in northern and western districts of the state for 24 hours or so,” he added.

A teeth-chattering Sunday morning altered health and recreation routines in Ranchi and Jamshedpur.

Poonam Singh, a 45-year-old homemaker and resident of Kanke Road, rescheduled her morning walk. “I usually reach Morabadi grounds by 7am. But, it was too cold and I delayed my walk by an hour. There were many like me,” she said.

Residents in the steel city swore by layers of woollens. “The cold was biting and I was forced to stay indoors. I skipped my morning walk and Sunday yoga session at Jubilee Park,” said Sujata Sen, an elderly resident of Sakchi.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore, Calcutta, attributed the Celsius plunge to clear skies — characteristic of winter — and low humidity.

“Jharkhand is in the grip of cold currents blowing in from northern India. The situation will remain the same for the next one or two days,” the duty officer echoed weathermen in Ranchi.