PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Oct 10: The Met office has a good news in store for pandal-hoppers.
IMD’s Ranchi Meteorological Centre predicted bright and dry days for four days from Saptami to Dussehra, October 10-13 in a special Puja weather bulletin.
Weathermen ruled out the possibility of rain in the next four days.
Though Sasthi (yesterday, October 9) saw thundershowers and lightning activity in some places including Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas.
Forecasting a sunny Puja, a senior officer of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said, “The moist easterly winds prevalent during the monsoon season are now being gradually replaced by dry westerly winds. The maximum temperature in most districts across Jharkhand would be around 31 and 35 degrees Celsius between October 10 (Saptami) and October 13 (Vijaya Dashami).”
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The senior meteorologist went on to say, “In all probability, the days will be sunny. The possibility of rain on the Puja days is remote. Early mornings would be cold. If the westerly winds progress rapidly over the state during the next few days, the morning temperature will dip further. The maximum humidity at 80 per cent would raise the discomfort level.”
Revellers went gaga over the pleasant weather forecast for the puja. “I am delighted that we will be able to offer Puja to Goddess Durga in comfortable conditions,” said Rajiv Kumar, a resident of Sonari in Jamshedpur.
The puja organisers also heaved a sigh of relief after hearing about the dry and bright weather during the festival.
“As there is no possibility of rain, everyone will celebrate the festival in true spirit. In other years, rain played spoilsport during the puja. As a preventive measure, we have put a plastic cover over our pandal this year also,” said a member of a Puja committee in Bistupur.
Weathermen said no significant synoptic system prevails over the state.
However, southwesterly to southerly wind exists from the surface to the middle tropospheric level over the state.
The line of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon continues to pass through 29°N/84°E, Nautanwa, Sultanpur, Panna, Narmadapuram, Khargaon, Nandurbar,Navsari and 20°N/70°E.
