Kolkata faced significant weather disturbances as Cyclone Remal moved inland into Bangladesh by Monday afternoon, bringing 189.6 mm of rainfall over a 24-hour period.
This deluge caused Monday’s maximum temperature to drop significantly to 26.6°C, a sharp decrease of 11.4 degrees from Saturday’s high. The minimum temperature, remarkably close to the maximum, fell to just 1.6°C below. Cyclone Remal, which has been gradually weakening, is expected to have minimal impact on Tuesday. By Monday evening, the cyclone had downgraded from a severe cyclonic storm to a cyclonic storm, moving northwest at a speed of 14 kmph. It was located 120 km from Mongla, where it made landfall. Meteorological officials predict that the system will continue moving northeast, gradually weakening into a deep depression by Tuesday morning. Despite this, North and South 24 Parganas are anticipated to experience wind speeds of 40 kmph to 50 kmph and heavy rainfall for another day.
The weather conditions began with a steady drizzle at 9 pm on Sunday, which intensified into a thunderstorm by 10:30 pm. The storm reached its peak intensity between midnight and 1:30 am on Monday. Kolkata recorded its highest wind speed of 74 kmph at around 12:45 am on Monday, while neighbouring Dum Dum experienced wind gusts up to 91 kmph at the same time. Throughout Monday, the city endured a persistent drizzle, interspersed with thunderstorms and sustained wind speeds of 40 kmph to 50 kmph. Between 8 am and 2:30 pm, Kolkata received an additional 43 mm of rainfall, which gradually ceased by evening.
A Official from Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), indicated that Kolkata might experience scattered thundershowers on Tuesday and smaller, localised showers on Wednesday. The temperature is expected to remain below normal, with the maximum temperature likely to rise by five to six degrees on Tuesday, approaching 32°C. The minimum temperature is projected to fall slightly to around 24°C. The RMC’s Monday evening bulletin suggested that further widespread damage to infrastructure and power lines in Kolkata was unlikely past Monday evening. However, the impact of Cyclone Remal has underscored the importance of preparedness and robust infrastructure to handle such severe weather events.
As the city recovers, officials and residents alike will be closely monitoring the weather developments, hoping for a quick return to normalcy. The recent events serve as a reminder of the need for continued vigilance and improvement in disaster management strategies to mitigate the impacts of such natural calamities.
