Monsoon onset declared in Bihar; yellow alert issued for parts of north-west Bihar, southern districts

PATNA: The wait for entry of rain-bearing winds in the state is over as India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday afternoon announced that southwest monsoon made its foray into Bihar through the north-eastern districts, bringing a smile on the faces of tillers in hope for timely Kharif (monsoon) crop cultivation and residents reeling under sultry conditions.

A special bulletin issued by Patna meteorological centre on Monday stated that Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) — an imaginary line drawn on the map by meteorologists to mark till where they deem the rain-bearing winds — was passing through Forbesganj.
It is after 17 years that monsoon onset has been declared a day ahead of its scheduled date, which was June 13 at present.
The last time monsoon onset was declared ahead of its normal date was in the year 2006, when its onset was declared on June 6.
Last year (2022), monsoon onset was declared on June 13.
As per the bulletin issued by the local Met office on Monday, the impact of monsoon was witnessed in Forbesganj (Araria), Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar.
The places which received significant rainfall in the last 24 hours included 105.2mm at Dhengraghat in Purnia, 572mm in Sikti in Araria and 50.6mm in Sonhaula in Bhagalpur.
The Met office has issued an alert for thunderstorms in parts of the state over the next few days.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow alerts for thundershowers at isolated areas in the north-east districts, such as Madhubani, Araria and Purnia.
The monsoon rainfall in Bihar is expected to be normal or below normal, as per the long-range forecast (LRF) issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on April 11.
As per the Patna Meteorological Centre, rainfall during the monsoon months of June, July, August and September is likely to be either normal or less than normal of the long period average.
Last year, Bihar faced 31% deficient rainfall in the monsoon season, which was the lowest since 2012.
Monsoon onset notwithstanding, several areas in the state are still under the grip of a heatwave.
A yellow alert has been issued for parts of north-west Bihar and southern districts on Tuesday.