RANCHI: The Ranchi office of India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday announced the onset of southwest monsoon over Jharkhand.Binay Kumar Mandal, director of IMD Ranchi , said that northeastern parts of the state reported heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the past 24 hours. “The southwest monsoon will set over the whole of Jharkhand in the next 48 hours,” he added.Southwest monsoon arrived in Jharkhand two weeks behind its normal schedule. The delayed onset resulted in a rainfall deficit of 44% in the state, the IMD said. “Most districts have a rainfall deficit at this time due to delayed onset. But we are hopeful the deficit will covered in coming days,” senior weather scientist RS Sharma said.In its long range forecast (LRF), IMD New Delhi had predicted that monsoon is likely to remain normal in Jharkhand with cumulative rainfall up to 96% of the state’s normal average. Weathermen in Ranchi also echoed the same and added that the delayed onset is unlikely to affect cumulative rainfall in the monsoon months (June to September). Jharkhand receives over 1,200 mm rain every year during monsoon.Explaining the delay in onset, Mandal said: “The monsoon trough had shifted over the Himalayan foothills for more than a week. Synoptic conditions were also not favourable for its advance into the state. However, a cyclonic circulation persists over northwest Bay of Bengal. It is likely to assist the onset of monsoon further and cause heavy rainfall across Jharkhand in the next three days.”Dumka, Pathargama (Godda), Gobindpur and Deoghar recorded 40 mm rain till Monday morning. Ghatshila in East Singbhum recorded 13.2 mm rain while Maithon in Dhanbad and Jamtara recorded 10 mm rain each. Massanjore in Dumka recorded 14.32 mm rain overnight, IMD said.Though IMD officials said monsoon would set over Ranchi by Wednesday, the state capital recorded 11mm rain in the showers which lashed over the city on Monday afternoon. Daltonganj recorded 5 mm rain till the evening.

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