Hailstorm, lighting warning for parts of Jharkhand; orange alert issued

Ranchi: The Meteorological department has issued an orange alert for hailstorms, lightning and gusty winds for parts of Jharkhand for Thursday, a weather official said here.

The Met office also predicted light to moderate rainfall in several pockets of the state.

"Hail accompanied by thunderstorm and gusty wind up to 50 kmph is likely to occur in some places over eastern parts of the state on Thursday. Thunderstorms and gusty wind may be witnessed in western and adjoining central parts of the state," Ranchi Meteorological Centre Deputy Director Abhishek Anand said.

An orange alert has been issued for the three regions of the state, he said.

Orange alert denotes “be prepared” in the colour codes of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Light to moderate rain may occur in a few places of the state, which is likely to help bring down maximum temperature by two to three degrees Celsius.

Anand said that the major reason behind the change in weather is moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal due to a well-marked low-pressure area and a trough over Jharkhand.

Jharkhand's Daltonganj recorded the state's highest temperature at 40.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while Garhwa experienced the maximum temperature at 38.4 degrees Celsius.

The state capital Ranchi registered maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.