Kolkata is likely to see a few more spells of light rain as the impact of Cyclone Arnab recedes, while the India Meteorological Department is tracking a separate weather system over the Andaman Sea that could influence Bengal next week.
Cyclone Arnab has weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area over north Chhattisgarh and adjoining northwest Odisha. Its trailing effect brought brief spells of light rain to Kolkata, with the city expected to largely move beyond the system’s influence by the second half of Friday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata said the impact over south Bengal would reduce, although parts of north Bengal could receive heavy rain. The forecast was attributed to HR Biswas, head of the centre.
The new system is located over the Andaman Sea and adjoining Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to a special IMD bulletin cited in the report, it persisted over the same region and was associated with a cyclonic circulation extending up to 7.6 km above mean sea level.
Biswas said the system had an 80% chance of intensifying into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal within the next 24 hours. However, the IMD has not forecast whether it will strengthen further into a cyclonic storm.
Meteorologists said the system’s eventual intensity would depend on conditions including sea-surface temperature and the speed at which it moves over the sea. The path and movement of the low-pressure area would also determine the extent of its influence on Bengal’s weather.
The latest system could therefore bring another period of unsettled weather to the state even as the immediate effects of Arnab fade. For Kolkata, the current forecast points to light rain through Friday, while the broader regional outlook remains dependent on the new system’s development and track.
The city’s maximum temperature fell to 28.2 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 degrees below normal. The IMD’s next assessment of the Andaman Sea system will determine whether the depression develops and how its movement affects Bengal next week.
