Jharkhand in grip of biting cold, mercury drops to 3.8 deg C in Bishunpur

Severe cold gripped Jharkhand on Saturday, with the minimum temperature in Gumla's Bishunpur plummeting to 3.8 degrees Celsius, the Met Department said.

Similar weather conditions are likely to prevail across the state for the next three days, it said.

The low of Bishunpur was followed by Chatra Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK), where the mercury dropped to 4.1 degrees Celsius, Khunti (4.4 degrees), Latehar (4.9 degrees), Lohardaga (5.2 degrees) and state capital Ranchi (8.1 degrees), the department said in a bulletin.

"The mercury dipped by three to seven degrees Celsius across Jharkhand, with westerly to north-westerly winds blowing over the state," In-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre, Abhishek Anand, said.

The minimum temperature is expected to start increasing from January 15 onwards, rising by two to three degrees Celsius.

“Light rain is likely in parts of Jharkhand on January 17 and January 18," Anand added.