South Bengal is set for another spell of unsettled weather, with heavy rain likely across at least four districts from Wednesday and thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds forecast over much of the region through the weekend.
The Alipore weather office said scattered rain and thunderstorms could affect almost all districts of South Bengal on Saturday and Sunday. Gusty winds accompanying the storms may reach 30 to 40 kilometres per hour, while Kolkata is also likely to receive rain.
The forecast has immediate implications for road travel, outdoor activity and local urban services across the region. Lightning and sudden gusts can disrupt movement and create safety risks, particularly during periods of intense rain. The weather office has warned of thunderstorms with lightning in several districts, although no alert has currently been issued for the Bay of Bengal.
Rain is expected to ease somewhat from Monday before increasing again from Wednesday. Heavy rain is likely in South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram from Wednesday through Friday. The weather office has also issued an orange alert for Purulia, Bankura and West Burdwan for Saturday, warning of rain accompanied by gusty winds and lightning.
North Bengal is also expected to see scattered rain for now. Darjeeling and the other northern districts may receive light to moderate rain with thunderstorms on Saturday, with rainfall expected to decline from Sunday. Heavy rain is possible in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar on Thursday and Friday.
The Alipore office said the monsoon withdrawal process had begun in the western parts of the country. The southwest monsoon may withdraw from parts of West Rajasthan by Saturday. A monsoon trough is currently extending from the Saurashtra region through a low-pressure area near the northeast Arabian Sea, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand before entering West Bengal and extending over the Bay of Bengal through Digha.
A circulation over Thailand was expected to move into the North Andaman Sea by Friday evening. Its influence could lead to the formation of a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea, which may move north-northwestwards towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast over three to four days. Another trough extends from North Bengal to north Odisha and may contribute to increased scattered rain in parts of South Bengal.
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’s next operational milestones are the weekend thunderstorm forecast, the expected reduction in rain from Monday and the renewed heavy-rain spell forecast from Wednesday.
