Ranchi, March 19 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday forecast light to moderate rainfall in parts of Jharkhand on March 20 and 21.
The weather office has issued an "orange" alert (be prepared) for thunderstorms on Friday.
The IMD said that light to moderate rain, accompanied by gusty winds of 60-70 kmph, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and hailstorms, are likely to occur on Friday in some districts of the northeastern and central parts of the state.
Also, in isolated places in the western and southern parts of the state, there is a possibility of thunderstorms and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph and lightning strikes, it said.
"The districts likely to be affected on Friday include Sahibganj, Pakur, Dumka, Godda, Deoghar, Jamtara, Dhanbad, Ranchi, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Hazaribag, Giridih, and Chatra," Abhishek Anand, Deputy Director at the IMD centre in Ranchi, said.
"Favourable conditions for thunderstorms and lightning are developing in Jharkhand due to daytime heat, followed by cloud formation in the afternoon. Moisture is also flowing in from the Bay of Bengal, combining with a trough over the region to cause significant moisture incursion. An "orange" alert has therefore been issued for March 20," he said.
On March 21, thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds (40-50 kmph) and lightning strikes are likely in isolated places, Anand added.
"No significant change is likely in the maximum temperatures over the next 24 hours and thereafter, they are likely to decline by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius," he said.