PATNA, Aug. 10 -- Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated a low probability of widespread rainfall across Bihar in the coming days, officials said here on Sunday. IMD scientist Ashish Kumar told HT that the low-pressure monsoon trough is currently moving from Odisha to central India, Chhattisgarh to be precise, significantly reducing the likelihood of heavy or continuous rainfall across Bihar. Isolated incidents of rainfall accompanied by lightning are likely to observed in small areas, he said. In light of the sporadic lightning threats, Ashish cautioned public to take preventive measures including avoiding open spaces and farmlands during thunderstorms as exposed areas pose a higher risk during lightning strikes. Residents are advised to remain indoors whenever local weather conditions deteriorate, he said. Highlighting on real-time weather updates made available by the IMD, Ashish recommended downloading Damini and Mausam mobile applications. These official digital platforms provide localized alerts and subsequently timely warnings to help citizens stay informed and safe, he added. It must be mentioned here that movement of monsoon trough is the key driver of rainfall distribution across eastern and central India. As the trough axis shifts from Odisha to central India, moisture-laden cloud formations are redirected away from Gangetic plains leaving most districts of Bihar in predominantly warm conditions with precipitation confined to scattered to light shower patches in place of consistent and widespread spells of downpour. Notably, Bihar's agricultural coverage during the 2026 Kharif season continues to demonstrate resilience despite deficits in cumulative precipitation, with district-wise sowing showing considerable progress. Against the total crop target for the 2026 Kharif season of 4.220 million hectares, an overall coverage of 3.612 million hectares was achieved by August 8, 2026, according to officials in the agriculture department. This constitutes over 85% of overall coverage and performance stays lower to the corresponding period in 2025 that was recorded over 88%. Paddy seedling preparations reached near-perfect completion at 386,000 hectares, while paddy transplanting covered 3.256 million hectares. Maize cultivation reached 255,200 hectare surpassing last year's performance. Millets, oilseeds and pulses too registered overall progress rates of 65.94%, 53.02% and 51.31% respectively. Interestingly, this comes during a period of deficient seasonal rainfall! Only 5 district, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Siwan, Supaul, and Kishanganj, received normal rainfall while a large majority-as many as 32 districts-experienced deficient rainfall besides Jehanabad that faced a large deficit....