Ranchi | Aug 19, 2016: The deep depression over Jharkhand maintained its intensity on Thursday. However, an official of the Ranchi weather office said the depression is likely to weaken and enter north Chhattisgarh by Friday afternoon.
Bablu Raut, a Giridih resident, died after an uprooted tree fell on his car Wednesday.
"The deep depression persists over north-western Jharkhand," DG Hedau, forecasting officer at the Ranchi weather office said. He said the system is expected to weaken overnight.
However, the weather office announced the system may cause widespread moderate rainfall across the northern and south-western parts of Jharkhand. A cloud cover is expected to remain over central Jharkhand, including Ranchi and Khunti. These areas should receive light showers.
Isolated areas in north-western Jharkhand continued to receive heavy rainfall till Thursday evening as the previous night's precipitation left several areas inundated.
East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts received heavy showers till Thursday morning.
The local weather observatory recorded 32 cm rainfall in Jamshedpur till 5.30 pm, 27 cm of it was received overnight. Dhanbad, Bokaro and Latehar also recorded heavy showers.
IMD's Ranchi observatory said the system entered south-eastern Jharkhand around midnight as high wind speeds brought heavy showers. The deep depression drifted to the north and covered Chatra, Dhanbad, Giridih and Bokaro. The system then moved in the north-west direction and covered Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar and parts of south Bihar.
Heavy showers left several areas in Jamshedpur inundated, while swelling rivers prompted district authorities to ordered the opening of the sluice gates of Chandil, Pankhwal, Tenughat, Maithon and Panchet dams. This apart, crops were damaged in Latehar's Garu block. Mining at CCL's Piparwar mines in Ramgarh were affected due to the swelling of the Damodar River.
Weather experts are keeping a close watch on another upper air cyclonic circulation over north Bay of Bengal. Met officials said the system may turn into a low pressure on August 20, increasing chances of heavy rainfall in Jharkhand.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)