Bihar’s Weather Split: Heat Grips South, Rain Drenches Seemanchal

Bihar Weather News: The state is witnessing contrasting weather conditions, with scorching heat continuing across its southern districts even as the southwest monsoon gradually advances and brings rainfall to parts of the state. According to a report by Jagran, the early arrival of the monsoon has failed to translate into widespread rain, with meteorologists attributing the sluggish progress to weakened monsoon conditions. Experts said the influence of El Niño has affected the speed and intensity of the monsoon, resulting in uneven weather patterns across Bihar.

The Patna Meteorological Centre has forecast hot and dry conditions accompanied by heatwave-like weather over southern parts of Patna and several adjoining districts during the next 24 hours. At the same time, heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms has been forecast for the Seemanchal districts of Araria, Kishanganj and Supaul, highlighting the stark contrast in weather across the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a red alert for weather activity in 11 districts, including Muzaffarpur and Lakhisarai, following increased monsoon activity.

The northern limit of the southwest monsoon has moved beyond Ranchi, Jamui and Muzaffarpur after remaining stalled for four days. The renewed monsoon activity brought changes in weather conditions across several districts on Wednesday, with thunderstorms and rainfall providing relief from the heat in Muzaffarpur, Lakhisarai, Shivhar, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, Khagaria and Banka. However, South Bihar, including Patna and neighbouring areas, continued to experience hot and dry weather.

Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 40.4°C on Wednesday, while Bhabua emerged as the hottest place in the state with 42.1°C. Maximum temperatures also crossed the 40°C mark in Gaya, Sheikhpura, Dehri and Buxar. Patna and Gaya remained the hottest among Bihar’s major cities, recording maximum temperatures of 40.4°C and 40.7°C, respectively. Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur registered daytime highs of 38°C and 37.6°C, while minimum temperatures stood at 31.1°C in Patna, 26.6°C in Gaya, 30°C in Muzaffarpur and 27°C in Bhagalpur.

Rainfall was reported from multiple parts of Bihar during the past 24 hours, with Taiyabpur in Kishanganj receiving the highest rainfall of 12.2 mm. Other parts of the state also recorded rainfall, with Sherghati in Gaya receiving 10 mm, followed by Kutumba in Aurangabad with 9.6 mm and Goh with 7.4 mm. Madanpur in Aurangabad recorded 5.2 mm, Hajipur in Vaishali 4.6 mm, Amas in Gaya 4.1 mm, Rafiganj in Aurangabad 3.2 mm, while Tilauthu in Rohtas and Navinagar in Aurangabad received 2.4 mm each. Aurangabad town recorded 2.2 mm of rainfall. The IMD said the southwest monsoon is likely to advance further into different parts of Bihar over the next four to five days, which could bring more widespread rainfall and a drop in temperatures across Patna and other regions.

Meteorologists attribute the contrasting conditions to the presence of low-pressure systems and dry air over parts of the state, which have slowed the monsoon’s progress and created significant atmospheric variations. The absence of a strong cyclonic circulation or an active low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal has weakened the monsoon flow, allowing hot and dry conditions to persist across southern Bihar while northern and eastern districts receive intermittent rain and thunderstorms.

According to weather experts, substantial relief from the ongoing heatwave conditions in South Bihar is likely only after the monsoon becomes more active and spreads across the state in the coming days.