Despite receiving 143 mm of rainfall in June, Kolkata has ended the month with a significant rain deficit of 49%, according to data from the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata. The situation is more acute in the rest of Gangetic Bengal, which recorded a 67% deficit. Meteorologists are forecasting more rain in the coming days, which might provide some relief.
“Conditions remain favourable for light to moderate rainfall in Kolkata over the next few days. This will help keep the temperatures in check,” said a weather scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre. The Alipore weather office has issued heavy rain alerts for other districts, including South and North 24 Parganas. Despite the recent rainfall, Kolkata has not reached its normal June rainfall mark of 272.4 mm. The heavy rain on Saturday, which amounted to 75 mm, brought the cumulative total to around 143 mm, still falling short. Meteorologists attribute the deficit to the late onset of the monsoon in south Bengal and a weak monsoon current since its arrival. The southwest monsoon arrived almost a week late this year. “Whenever the monsoon arrives late, we tend to experience this kind of rain shortage. While south Bengal is facing a deficit, some areas in north Bengal have recorded a surplus,” a Met official explained.
This marks the fourth June in the past decade where Kolkata has faced a rain shortage. Only June 2021, 2020, and 2018 saw surplus rainfall, with June 2018 recording the highest cumulative rainfall of 419.7 mm. The all-time record for the wettest June in Kolkata, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), is June 1984, when the city received a total of 946.2 mm of rainfall. The highest 24-hour rainfall recorded in Kolkata over the past ten years was on June 26, 2018, when the city was deluged with 162.6 mm of rain. This June, the wettest day was Saturday, with 75 mm of rain. The recent rainfall has helped to lower the maximum temperature to 30.3 degrees Celsius, which is 2.3 degrees below the normal mark. The minimum temperature remained around the normal at 27 degrees Celsius. While the forecast of continued rainfall offers some hope, the delayed and weak monsoon has already had a significant impact on Kolkata’s June rainfall totals. The city and the broader region will need more consistent rainfall to make up for the shortfall and avoid further consequences related to water scarcity and agricultural stress.
