Kolkata weather is expected to remain largely stable even as a fresh system over the southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a depression and move towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.
The city received light rain on Friday morning, but the showers were attributed to residual moisture left behind by Cyclone Arnab rather than the new system. The Met office said the developing system was unlikely to significantly affect Kolkata or south Bengal, although it would remain under continuous surveillance.
According to a bulletin issued on Friday morning, a low-pressure area over the south Andaman Sea and neighbourhood had moved west-northwestwards and lay over the South Andaman Sea. It was very likely to move in the same direction and concentrate into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Saturday.
The system is then expected to move west-northwestwards towards the Andhra Pradesh coast during the following two days. The bulletin said there was currently no weather warning for West Bengal in connection with the system.
The immediate concern for West Bengal is expected to be concentrated in the north. The Met bulletin said strong moisture incursion was likely over north Bengal and that isolated heavy rainfall was very likely in some districts of the region. No comparable warning was issued for south Bengal.
For Kolkata and the rest of south Bengal, light rain or thundershowers are likely at one or two places from November 1 to 5. The Met office said dry weather was most likely to return across south Bengal after November 5.
The latest assessment marks a change from the previous day’s forecast. On Thursday, Met officials had indicated that the fresh system could intensify even after becoming a depression. On Friday, however, they said such further intensification was unlikely.
Friday’s overcast conditions kept Kolkata’s maximum temperature below normal. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 29.2 degrees Celsius, around two degrees below normal. Increased moisture, however, pushed the minimum temperature up by almost three degrees to 25.2 degrees Celsius.
The system’s limited expected impact on Kolkata does not eliminate the need for monitoring. Weather systems over the Bay of Bengal can alter moisture and rainfall patterns across eastern India, making timely updates important for transport operations, drainage management and public advisories. In the present case, the Met office has not issued a warning for West Bengal and has said the system remains under continuous surveillance.
