Several districts of Jharkhand are experiencing muggy weather owing to high humidity caused by moisture incursion into the atmosphere, but some relief is on the way.
The sweltering heat has upped the discomfort index and weathermen have warned of another 24 hours of torment before the state can hope for some rain in the wake of cyclone Amphan.
“The weather will continue to be humid for the next 24 hours due to the westerly wind coupled with moisture incursion into the atmosphere,” S.D. Kotal, director of the India Meteorological Department's Ranchi centre, said on Monday.
The average discomfort index, measured on the basis of temperature, humidity and wind pattern, was as high as 64°, nine notches above normal, in the state on Monday.
The index in Jamshedpur touched a tormenting 65°, 10 notches above normal, while in capital Ranchi it was 62°, seven points above normal.
In places such as Daltonganj, Bokaro and Dhanbad, the discomfort index was between 65° and 66°, much higher than the normal.
The day’s temperature on Sunday had touched an oppressive 40°C in several parts of the state, specially in the southern and north-western parts.
Chaibasa in West Singhbhum and several places in Palamau region recorded around 40°C for the second consecutive day on Monday.
Kotal said cyclone Amphan, which originated from the Bay of Bengal, would start impacting Jharkhand’s weather from Tuesday afternoon.
“Cloud formation will take place especially in those districts of Jharkhand, which are close to Bengal and Odisha. Gusty winds, rain and thunder are expected on Wednesday and Thursday,” he said.
The Met office director, however, said no warning of heavy rain had been issued for Jharkhand.
Monday’s satellite pictures suggested that cyclone Amphan was located around 780km south of Paradip (Odisha), 930km south-southwest of Digha (Bengal) and 1,050km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh). It is likely to intensify further into a super cyclone during the next 24 hours.
The cyclone is very likely to move northwards for some time and then to northwest Bay of Bengal and cross Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) on Wednesday afternoon.
