The much-awaited southwest monsoon, which is crucial for agriculture, hit Jharkhand on Saturday and covered four districts of the state, weather officials said. The seasonal rain, which is delayed by eight days from its scheduled time, made entry from northeast parts of the state.

“The monsoon sets in over Jharkhand on Saturday and covered the districts of Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur and some parts of Dumka. We expect the monsoon to reach central parts of Jharkhand in a day or two and cover the entire state in the next four days,” Abhishek Anand, in-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre, told PTI.

He said overall seasonal rainfall between June and September is expected to be normal.?“The state might experience deficient rainfall in June but it will pick up in July,” Anand said.

The normal date for monsoon onset in Jharkhand is June 10. It, however, has hit the state between June 12 and June 25 since 2010, according to Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

In 2021, the monsoon arrived in Jharkhand on June 12 and the state recorded 1043.4 mm of rainfall against the average of 1054.7 mm during the four-month season.

The state has recorded a 50 per cent rainfall deficiency this month. Barring Dhanbad, all 23 districts are facing deficient rainfall.?Most parts of Jharkhand have received light to moderate rainfall on Friday.

(With PTI inputs)