Kolkata rain is expected to ease after Saturday afternoon as a low-pressure system over southern Odisha and Chhattisgarh weakens and shifts north-west, the Alipore weather office said. The forecast offers relief to Kolkata and its suburbs after rain began before dawn and intensified in several areas during the morning.
Rain was reported across wide parts of Kolkata and adjoining areas from the early hours of Saturday, with some locations receiving heavy spells. Although the rain eased during the day, the sky remained overcast. The weather office said rainfall would reduce substantially in Kolkata and the suburbs after the afternoon.
The system that had been affecting West Bengal was over southern Odisha and Chhattisgarh before moving further north-west. It was expected to remain a low-pressure system until Friday night and weaken into a low-pressure area by Saturday morning. Its influence had produced scattered rainfall across north and south Bengal.
The forecast indicated that heavy rain was unlikely in Kolkata and most districts of south Bengal after Saturday. Isolated locations could still receive a few spells of rain, but no weather warning was in force for the region at the time of the update. The forecast also said that significant rain was not expected elsewhere in the state during the rest of the week.
Coastal conditions remained unsettled because of the weakening system. Winds near the coast were expected to blow at 35 to 45 kilometres per hour, with gusts occasionally reaching 55 kilometres per hour. Fishers were advised not to venture into the sea until Saturday afternoon because of the strong winds and rougher sea conditions.
The weather office continued to forecast storm and rain conditions in north Bengal through Saturday. Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Kalimpong could receive heavy rain, while Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur faced the possibility of scattered thunderstorms and rain. No further weather warning was expected in any north Bengal district from Sunday.
Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 25.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, 0.4 degrees below normal. The city’s maximum temperature on Friday was 30.6 degrees Celsius, which was 1.9 degrees below normal.
For residents, the immediate change expected is a reduction in rainfall after Saturday afternoon rather than a complete end to wet conditions. The next operational milestone in the forecast is the weakening of the low-pressure system and the withdrawal of the remaining weather warnings, including the advisory restricting fishing activity until Saturday afternoon.
