A new Bay of Bengal depression may form by Sunday, but the system is not expected to bring rain to West Bengal immediately, according to the Alipore weather office. Kolkata and other districts in south Bengal are likely to see a fall in temperatures over the next few days while conditions remain dry across the state.
The weather office said a cyclonic circulation is currently positioned over the Andaman Sea at an altitude of 5.8 kilometres above sea level. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is expected to develop over the south-eastern Bay of Bengal on Friday.
The system is forecast to move gradually north-westwards and become a well-marked low-pressure area on Saturday. By Sunday, it may intensify into a depression. The Alipore weather office is monitoring its movement, but officials have not yet established whether the system will affect West Bengal.
The development comes after two cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal within a week and made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast. Those systems also brought widespread rain and storms to parts of West Bengal. The latest system is being tracked separately, and its eventual direction will determine whether it has any effect on the state.
For now, the forecast indicates no immediate possibility of rain or storms in West Bengal. Weather is expected to remain dry across the state, including Kolkata. In south Bengal, temperatures may fall by two to three degrees Celsius over the next two days, bringing a mild chill to the air at night. The forecast does not indicate any major change after that period.
North Bengal is not expected to see a fresh fall in temperatures at present. Conditions there are also likely to remain mainly dry. The impact of the developing low-pressure system, if any, will become clearer as meteorologists track its movement over the sea.
Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, which was 1.2 degrees above normal. The city’s maximum temperature on Thursday was 29.2 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees below normal. These readings reflect a relatively cooler daytime pattern alongside above-normal overnight temperatures.
The Alipore weather office will continue to assess the system’s movement and intensity before issuing any forecast of rain or storms for West Bengal. For the immediate period, residents can expect dry weather, with a modest temperature decline in south Bengal and no confirmed weather impact from the new depression.
