South Bengal, including Kolkata, is likely to see more rain over the coming week, with the Alipore weather office forecasting thunderstorms, gusty winds and heavy showers in several districts from Wednesday. The forecast comes as scattered rain continues across Kolkata and other parts of the region.
The weather office has warned of scattered thunderstorms across almost all districts of South Bengal on Saturday and Sunday. Lightning may be accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. Kolkata is also likely to receive rain during this period.
Rain is expected to ease somewhat from Monday before intensifying again from Wednesday. Heavy rain is forecast in South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram from Wednesday through Friday, according to the Alipore office.
An orange alert has been issued for Purulia, Bankura and West Burdwan for Saturday morning. The warning covers rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds. The conditions could affect road movement, outdoor activity and local services in the districts under alert, while the forecast for Kolkata indicates the possibility of further wet-weather disruption in the city.
The weather office has also forecast scattered rain in North Bengal. Darjeeling and other northern districts may receive light to moderate rain with lightning on Saturday, while rain is expected to reduce from Sunday. Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar could receive heavy rain on Thursday and Friday.
The forecast is linked to several weather systems. The monsoon trough currently extends from Saurashtra through a low-pressure area near the northeast Arabian Sea, across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand before entering West Bengal and extending over the Bay of Bengal through Digha. A trough also extends from North Bengal to north Odisha, which may increase scattered rain in parts of South Bengal.
A cyclonic circulation over Thailand was expected to move into the North Andaman Sea by Friday evening. Under its influence, a low-pressure area may form over the Andaman Sea and move north-northwest towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast over the following three to four days. The Alipore office said there was no alert over the Bay of Bengal at present.
Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 0.5 degrees above normal. The city’s maximum temperature on Friday was 31.9 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal. The weather office has also said that the southwest monsoon may begin withdrawing from parts of western Rajasthan by Saturday.
