IMD allays fears of cloudburst in Bihar

Patna: Indian Metereological Department (IMD) here has categorically ruled out the possibility of cloudburst or landslides in Bihar in the coming days as reported by a section of media (not TOI) on Sunday, quoting the US Climate Prediction Centre’s forecast. Coming in the wake of last Friday’s cloudburst over Uttarakhand claiming many lives and causing huge devastation, the reports created a scare in Bihar. However, the IMD predicted widespread rainfall in Bihar in the next two days. It said the emerging wet spell after a lull only indicated the revival of monsoon trough which had weakened last week. This spell is all set to envelop the entire state.
The Met department has also issued a warning for the districts of north-eastern Bihar and south-eastern Bihar, where there will be heavy to very heavy rainfall. Incidentally, the districts at the foothills of Himalayas are already witnessing heavy downpour for the last 48 hours, said state IMD sources.
An upper air cyclonic circulation mixed with a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is playing a crucial role in the revival of monsoon rain this week.
“June, the first month of monsoon, may have witnessed a rainfall deficit of 24 per cent, but the picture is likely to be different in July, according to IMD, Skymet Weather Services and even the US agency. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts also tends to agree with the outlook, predicting a rather heavy monsoon during the first 10 days in July across India,” said state IMD director A K Sen here on Sunday.
He said rainfall is expected to pick up pace over the entire northeastern states, including Bihar and Jharkhand, and heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected by July 5 at many places. Thereafter, there will again be a drop in rain activities over these areas,
Sources said the US Climate Prediction Centre is of the view that the current low-pressure area which has spearheaded the monsoon will be followed by another towards the end of the first week of the month. A storm tracker also suggests that the North Bay of Bengal will remain ‘active’ through the first 15 days of July, sending in one ‘low’ after the other into the hinterland. This would, in turn, keep the monsoon active over the entire northern half of the country. The IMD has supported the view.