June has ushered in a welcome change in the weather pattern for the state of Chhattisgarh with rainfall, cloud cover and strong winds taking a break of the scorching summer heat. The weather has turned cooler in certain districts with temperatures falling up to 5 degrees Celsius, after weeks of searing heat.
The next five days will bring rain and thunderstorms to the state, according to meteorologists. But, climatologists have cautioned that the arrival of southwest monsoon might be late and cause a heat wave situation during the first half of June. The Bastar region is likely to escape extreme heat with the moisture laden winds while central and northern areas of the State could still face high temperatures until the arrival of widespread monsoon rains.
The monsoon has also been delayed in the last few days and is now projected to be later in Chhattisgarh, weather officials said. This delay can make it more likely that extreme heat wave conditions will occur, especially where temperatures are above 45°C or for at least 4.5°C above normal temperatures.
Several districts received rainfall in the last 24 hours, such as Pendra, Chandrapur, Kutru, Ambikapur, Tamnar and Mungeli districts. Rajnandgaon was the hottest place of the state with a maximum temperature of 42°C while Ambikapur experienced the lowest minimum temperature of 19.2°C.
The weather department has predicted partly cloudy skies, scattered rain, gusty wind and thunderstorms for Raipur. Authorities have warned residents to be vigilant for any sudden changes in weather and strong winds in the next few days as daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 42 C and night temperatures around 26 C.