Heavy rain alert in Jharkhand for next 2 days

Ranchi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a red alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours over more than half of Jharkhand.
This is because of development of a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal which is likely to move westwards across to West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand causing extremely heavy rainfall.
Acting director Ranchi IMD, Abhishek Anand, said the low-pressure area over the north Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood has turned into a well-marked low-pressure area over south Bangladesh and its adjoining north Bay of Bengal and West Bengal early on Wednesday morning.
While many parts of the state received moderate rainfall on Wednesday, the IMD bulletin issued by evening predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in north-eastern, south-eastern and central parts of the state on Thursday. The red alert is valid for 12 districts in north-eastern and central Jharkhand. Orange alert has been raised in three districts — Ranchi, Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum.
For Friday, the red alert is valid for 18 of 24 districts. While orange alert has been sounded in Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum, the four remaining districts — Gumla, Khunti, Simdega and West Singhbhum — are in yellow alert category.
Anand said fairly widespread rains are expected during the next 48 hours when monsoon activity would remain significant under the influence of well-marked low-pressure area. “By Sunday, the weather will once again normalise and there can be sporadic rainfall in isolated pockets,” he said.
According to Met parlance, rainfall activity of 2,04.5mm and above is categrorised as extremely heavy rainfall while any quantum of rain between 115.6mm to 204.4mm is considered very heavy rainfall. The red warning suggests taking pre-emptive steps. The district administrations in general has decided to keep a watch over the situation and no evacuation measures were started on Wednesday.
During the monsoon, Jharkhand has received 463.2mm rainfall as against the seasonal normal of 489.8mm thereby registering a deficit of 5 per cent. While rainfall has been deficient in six districts, four have recorded excess rainfall while rainfall has been normal in the remaining 16 districts.