Pre-monsoon showers in East India usually begin early, around mid-March, as compared to North India, where winter activity such as the western disturbances delay the pre-monsoon showers in the region. According to the data available with Skymet Meteorology Division in India, rainfall in East India during March – beginning of the pre-monsoon season - was not very satisfying.
Barring the Bihar sub-division, Gangetic West Bengal received 18.2 mm of rain against the monthly average of 29.6 mm, which is 38% deficit. Odisha was 62% deficit, while rainfall in Jharkhand was deficit by 34%. Bihar till March 25 was also deficit by 3% but good amounts of rain during the last days of the month saw the sub-division surpassing the monthly average rainfall and becoming surplus by 133%.
Currently the region is observing some good rainfall activity, particularly West Bengal. In the last 24 hours, from 8.30 am on Monday Kolkata received 19.4 mm of rain, Jalpaiguri 24 mm and Digha witnessed 19 mm of rainfall. Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand have also been observing rain, though light in intensity. For instance Gaya in Bihar has received 7 mm of rain in the last three days, while the capital Patna has recorded 4 mm of rain. Jamshedpur in Jharkhand has received 2 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, while Ranchi has observed 1 mm of rain. Balasore in Odisha has also recorded 2 mm of rain.
The rainfall activity in the region is due to the low level cyclonic circulation in Bihar and its adjoining areas working in tandem with the anti-cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal. The weather is expected to prevail for another 48 hours after which the rainfall activity will ease out for a couple of days. But by Saturday another weather system is expected to hit the region and give widespread moderate to heavy rain.
Picture courtesy: The Hindu
