Several districts of Jharkhand are likely to witness bouts of thunder and lightning in the next 24 hours, the state disaster management department has warned, based on IMD forecasts.

Among the vulnerable districts are East Singhbhum, Pakur, Godda, Koderma, Giridih, Seraikela-Kharsawan and Sahebganj.

IMD's Ranchi Meteorological Centre also issued a nowcast (short-term forecast) for moderate thunderstorm and lightning.

"People in vulnerable districts should be careful in the next 24 hours. They should avoid venturing out to the fields and taking shelter under trees," said S.D. Kotal, director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

He also predicted heavy rain in southern, central and north western Jharkhand between August 13 and August 15. "A low-pressure area is developing over the northwest Bay of Bengal. It will result in heavy showers in isolated pockets of Jharkhand from August 13, " he said.

A senior official at IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore in Calcutta said lightning and thunder was expected in Jharkhand due to the formation of convective clouds, coupled with a low-pressure trough running from southwest Uttar Pradesh to south Chhattisgarh across east Madhya Pradesh between 1.5km and 2.1km above sea level.

Bu Tuesday afternoon, there were reports of lightning from various places of Koderma, Godda, Sahebganj and East Singhbhum. The Chhotanagpur plateau region is vulnerable to lightning strikes as a result of which there are casualties every year.

The monsoon activity was week over Jharkhand during the last 24 hours. Only a handful of IMD Met observatories recorded rainfall during the past 24 hours, according to Met data. Jharkhand, since the onset of monsoon, has so far received normal rain. Against a normal of 633.5 mm, Jharkhand has so far received 546.2 mm, a deficit of 14 per cent.