Jharkhand: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a flash flood warning on Monday for 13 districts in Jharkhand due to forecasted heavy rainfall, an official announced.
The warning is in effect for districts including Bokaro, East Singhbhum, Giridih, Gumla, Khunti, Latehar, Lohardaga, Palamu, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Saraikela, Simdega, and West Singhbhum until 5:30 pm on Tuesday.
The IMD cautioned that surface runoff and flooding could occur in areas with fully saturated soils and low-lying regions. An ‘orange’ alert indicating very heavy rainfall has been issued for parts of Jharkhand until July 17, covering districts such as Gumla, Simdega, Khunti, and West Singhbhum. These areas are expected to experience intense rains from 8:30 am on Monday to 8:30 am on Tuesday.
Additionally, districts like Palamu, Latehar, Garhwa, and Hazaribag are predicted to see heavy to very heavy rainfall between 8:30 am on Tuesday and 8:30 am on July 16. The same level of rainfall is forecasted for Palamu, Chatra, Koderma, Hazaribag, and Giridih from July 16 to July 17.
A ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rainfall has also been issued for six districts including Ranchi on Monday.
Jharkhand’s rainfall between June 1 and July 13 has been 61% above normal, with a total of 510 mm recorded against an average of 316.7 mm, according to Deputy Director Abhishek Anand of the Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
The heavy rainfall is reportedly caused by a cyclonic circulation and a trough in the atmosphere.