The southwest monsoon is expected to hit Jharkhand within the next 72 hours, the IMD’s Ranchi Meteorological Centre declared on Thursday afternoon.
Weathermen said the monsoon currents had advanced into some parts of neighbouring Chhattisgarh, southern Odisha, some parts of west-central and north Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, and most parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The monsoon currents also moved into some more parts of Assam and Meghalaya.
The northern limit of monsoon was passing through Jagdalpur, Gopalpur (in Odisha), Agartala and Tezpur.
An IMD bulletin issued on Thursday afternoon said conditions are becoming favourable for advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of north Bay of Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Odisha and some parts of neighbouring Bengal in next 48 hours.
“The flow of monsoon currents is quite normal. The monsoon’s arrival in Bengal is expected by June 12. The monsoon currents are expected to reach Jharkhand either on June 13 or June 14, which will be a normal onset,”said Abhishek Anand, the deputy director of Ranchi Met Centre.
He said there are no adverse conditions to scuttle the arrival of monsoon.
“The wind patterns are favourable. Pre-monsoon showers are expected at several places from today,” he added.
The Ranchi Met Centre also issued an alert for thunderstorm and lightning in isolated places over Jharkhand during the next week as cumulonimbus (or convective) clouds are expected to form over hilly terrains and the plateau region.
The Met office also issued an alert for heavy rain (more than 65mm) in districts of north-east and southern Jharkhand.
Officials at the IMD’s regional meteorological centre at Alipore in Calcutta said the prevailing low pressure over the east-central Bay of Bengal and south Odisha coast has triggered a cyclonic circulation 7.6km above the mean sea level, which will assist the onset of monsoon in Odisha, Bengal and Jharkhand.
Normally, monsoon sets in the state between June 10 and 15. It has been getting delayed in the past few years. In 2019, it had a delayed entry on June 21.
