PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 17: A partly cloudy sky is expected across Jharkhand on April 17, with chances of light rain or isolated thunderstorms over the north-eastern and south-eastern regions. The rest of the state is likely to experience mostly clear weather. Isolated areas may witness lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph during the day.
Clear skies from April 18
From April 18, weather conditions are expected to stabilise, bringing clear skies and dry weather across the state till April 22. However, heatwave conditions may begin to develop over parts of north-western Jharkhand from April 19, gradually spreading to some south-eastern areas by April 20.
Rising temperatures signal intensifying summer
Temperatures are already on the rise, with Daltonganj recording a high of 42.6°C, while Gumla reported the lowest minimum temperature at 19.1°C. This widening temperature gap indicates that summer is tightening its grip over the region.
The prevailing weather pattern is influenced by an east-west trough extending from southeast Rajasthan to Manipur, passing through a cyclonic circulation over northeast Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Bangladesh and southeast Assam at around 1.5 km above mean sea level. Despite this system, dry weather has largely dominated Jharkhand in the past 24 hours.