PATNA: At least six people were killed in lightning strikes as Patna and several other districts in the state received moderate to heavy thundershowers in the last 24 hours.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the state would continue to witness enhanced rainfall till July 2.
While the ongoing spell of fairly widespread rainfall is likely to continue till June 28, a fresh spell of enhanced rainfall would pick up from June 30 and intensify on July 1 and 2, it said.
Lightning claimed lives of two people each in Muzaffarpur and Sheikhpura and one each in Lakhisarai and Sitamarhi.
Weathermen have cautioned people to remain alert as lightning is expected in the state over the next couple of days as well.
The IMD has issued a yellow warning for thundershowers with lightning in Bihar on June 27, 28 and 29 and orange warning for June 30.
Patna received 146mm of rainfall in 24 hours (8.30am on Friday to 8.30am on Saturday), the highest in a day in the month of June since the last 24 years.
The city had received 205mm rainfall on June 30, 1997.
An official at Patna Meteorological Centre said the heavy rainfall and intense lightning in the state capital and neighbouring areas on Friday night was unprecedented.
Deliberating on the reasons behind the thundery weather, the official said, “Gradual rise in temperature in south Bihar along with moisture incursion in the atmosphere from a cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand led to formation of cumulonimbus clouds, which caused lightning.
Accordingly, thunderstorms started occurring from late noon hours.” He added thunderstorms along with rainfall is likely in the region over the next two to three days, including possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in the next 24 hours.
The IMD, in its all-India bulletin issued on Saturday evening, stated that under the influence of the cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and neighbourhood, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls and thunderstorm and lightning are very likely over most parts of east and adjoining central India, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha during the next 24 hours.
Weathermen claimed that while the intensity of showers is comparatively more in south Bihar, the upcoming spell of rain from June 30 is likely to be more intense in northern parts of the state.
“Moist easterly winds are likely to pick up strength, causing enhanced rainfall activity along the Himalayan foothills regions of north Bihar, north Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh around July 1 and 2.
It would lead to increased inflow into the rivers originating or flowing over these regions,” the IMD bulletin said.
Bihar has received good rainfall in the initial weeks of the four-month-long monsoon season (June- September).
Southwest monsoon had entered Bihar through Purnia in northeastern parts of the state on June 12, a day ahead of its schedule.
The state has received 142% excess rainfall till date.