Wily winds and high humidity joined forces on Wednesday to give Jharkhand the season's first fog, which delayed long-distance buses but spared flight and train services.
Weathermen said the south wind blowing over the state was feeding moisture to the atmosphere. This, coupled with almost 90 per cent humidity, resulted in dense fog in several parts of the state, reducing visibility to as low as 50 metres at 6 'clock in the morning.
Besides fog, several districts ' particularly those in Kolhan and Santhal Pargana regions ' experienced intermittent rainfall.
The Patna Meteorological Office hinted that weather conditions would gradually improve after Thursday. "The southerly wind flow alone is resulting in moisture inflow. Else, there is no strong atmospheric system over Jharkhand. The weather will improve after the next 24 hours," said C.S. Patil, the officiating director at the Met office. He added that some places, especially those located in higher altitudes like Ranchi, might witness partly cloudy skies.
According to the senior weather official, fog is likely on Thursday too, but Friday will be relatively clear. "Chances of dense fog will develop only if there are western disturbances," he said.
Officials at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore, Calcutta, too said that favourable weather conditions, bringing relief from the damp weather, were expected after the next 24 hours.
"The high humidity level, which touched 90 per cent at several places across Jharkhand, is resulting in early morning fog and low visibility. But, a chart analysis today hinted at change in wind pattern in the next one or two days," said a duty officer.
Wednesday's fog cover reduced visibility in East Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Dumka, Daltonganj, Simdega, Latehar and West Singhbhum.
In Jamshedpur, vehicles had to keep headlights on after daybreak. While long-distance buses were delayed, flights are scheduled after 9am and were not affected. Train services also remained normal.
The Met office in Jamshedpur recorded around 2mm rain. The minimum temperature was a warm 21.1�C in the city, five notches above normal. The low was also high in Ranchi, Daltonganj, Deoghar, Bokaro and Dhanbad. The capital recorded a minimum reading of 18.5�C, four degrees above normal.