IMD's Ranchi Meteorological Centre issued an alert of moderate heat wave in isolate pockets of Jharkhand including Kolhan and Palamau regions where day's reading has touched 38 degree Celsius, three notches above normal.

"We are expecting moderate heat wave condition in some parts of the state including Kolhan and Palamu region after the next 24 hours. Several places in Kolhan and Palamau including Jamshedpur , Chaibasa in West Singhbhum and Daltonganj has touched 38 degree Celsius. The day's reading is witnessing an upward trend due to dominating easterly wind and absence of rain," said Abhishek Anand, head of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

Met data revealed that several places in Santhal Pargana region including Godda, Garhwa and Giridih also recorded around 38 degree Celsius for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

The day's reading in several places across Kolhan region was there to four notches above normal on Thursday. The maximum reading in Ranchi, which enjoys altitude advantage and several other places in central Jharkhand too recorded over 35 degree Celsius for the second consecutive day today.

Today's day temperature in Ranchi and its adjoining areas was three notches above normal. The IMD forecast suggests dry and clear weather in most parts of the state in the next five days.

Weathermen, however, said that a few isolated pockets might witness cloud formation on Saturday, March 19 due to formation of a trough line from Gangetic West Bengal to Telangana across Jharkhand, interior Odisha and south Chhattisgarh at 0.9 Km above mean sea level.

According to weathermen, there will also be no major fluctuations in maximum temperature in the next 48 - hours.

Power plays truant in JBVNL areas

Several areas serviced by Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam (JBVNL) in and around Jamshedpur including Mango, Jugsalai and Chhota Govindpur, confronted power crisis since the early morning of Thursday due to short supply from the state load despatch centre in Ranchi.

Around two lakh residents of Mango experienced erratic power supply from morning as the power substation at Kuar Basti and Dimna were getting a meagre supply. The power crisis resulted in prolonged loadsheddings. The situation was equally grave in Chhota Govindpur, Ghorabandha and several other peripherial areas.

There was no power from 9am in places like Zakirnagar, Daiguttu, Dimna Road and the area around Payal Cinema and Post Office Road.

Residents of Chhota Govindpur and Ghorabandha near Telco also complained of prolonged power cut since morning. “Both Golmuri and Gamharia power grid substations were getting inadequate power from state load despatch and this is causing power crisis,” said an official of JBVNL’s Singhbhum electricity supply area.