Ranchi, 16 Mar

Heatwave conditions sizzled Jharkhand with the mercury crossing 40 degrees Celsius in seven districts, officials said on Sunday.

Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district registered the state's highest temperature at 41 degrees Celsius, 7.6 notches above the normal, on Saturday, they said.

Daltonganj recorded 40.7 degrees Celsius, while the weather station in Bokaro Thermal registered 40.1.

Jamshedpur in East Singhbhum recorded 40 degrees Celsius, which was 6.4 degrees higher than the normal, while state capital Ranchi registered 37 degrees Celsius, 6.1 notches above the normal.

Garhwa, Godda and Pakur also sizzled above 40 degrees Celsius.

The mercury is likely to fall from 19 March with the IMD predicting rain and thunderstorms in the region.

"A Yellow alert for heatwave has been issued for Seraikela-Kharswan, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Dhanbad and Bokaro for March 16," Ranchi Meteorological Centre's Deputy Director Abhishek Anand told PTI.

"The change in the weather is expected from 19 March. Light rain has been forecast on March 19 and 20, with light to moderate rainfall likely on March 21 and 22 due to moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal and the influence of a western disturbance," he said.

People have been advised to avoid going out between 12 pm and 3 pm during the prevailing heatwave conditions.