PATNA: Southwest monsoon is likely to enter the state on Saturday and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall in the state till June 15.
An official at Patna Meteorological Centre said pre-monsoon showers were witnessed across the state in the last 24 hours.
The IMD has, in fact, issued an orange alert for Saturday and yellow alert for Sunday and Monday for thunderstorm with lightning along with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the state.
The orange alert issued by IMD stipulates that authorities should be prepared for extreme weather development, while the yellow alert means authorities should remain watchful.
The expected showers as well as advancement of southwest monsoon in the region have been attributed to a low pressure area in northwest Bay of Bengal.
As per a bulletin issued by IMD on Friday evening, the low pressure area is likely to move west-northwestwards across Odisha, Jharkhand and north-Chhattisgarh during next 3-4 days.
The bulletin said an east-west trough was running through south Punjab to the centre of low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal coasts.
The east-west trough is very likely to persist during next 4-5 days.
In addition, strong southwesterly winds are prevailing along the west coast.
These conditions are likely to persist during next 5-6 days.
Accordingly, the IMD has issued warning for thunderstorm with lightning at isolated places in the state on Saturday and heavy rainfall on Sunday and Monday.
With regard to southwest monsoon, the IMD stated that it advanced into some more parts of north Arabian Sea and south Gujarat region, south Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal on Friday.
“A cyclonic circulation is situated over west Bay of Bengal and it is expected to intensify further.
Also, moist easterly winds are blowing over entire Bihar.
Both these weather conditions are supporting the movement of monsoon current in the north- west direction.
Accordingly, southwest monsoon is likely to enter Bihar through eastern parts of the state in 24 hours,” said Chandan Kumar, an official at Patna Meteorological Centre.
If the prediction of weathermen turns true, then it will be one of the earliest onset of monsoon in the state in recent years.
Monsoon is making delayed onset in the state in most years at least over the past two decades.