Kolkata weather is expected to remain mostly dry over the next few days, while several districts in North Bengal face continuing rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, according to the Alipore Meteorological Office. Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar have been placed under an orange alert for Wednesday, when heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely.
The change in weather conditions follows the movement of a low-pressure area that had formed over the north-west Bay of Bengal. The system has moved west-north-west towards the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. An associated cyclonic circulation is located at an altitude of 7.6 kilometres above sea level.
The weather office also said a trough extending from Rajasthan to the circulation near the east coast remains active across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The active monsoon trough is expected to keep rainfall conditions unsettled in North Bengal even though the southern districts are likely to receive less rain for some days.
Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar are expected to receive rain from Monday through Thursday, with heavy rain possible in some locations. The forecast also includes thunderstorms and gusty winds in these districts. North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda are not currently expected to receive heavy rainfall, but warnings have been issued for thunderstorms, rain and strong winds.
In South Bengal, isolated thunderstorms accompanied by light to moderate rain are possible on Monday in Purulia, Bankura, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad. Wind speeds in these districts may reach 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. The rest of South Bengal, including Kolkata, is expected to remain largely dry, although one or two brief spells of scattered rain may occur.
For Kolkata, the forecast indicates a short period of comparatively stable weather rather than a complete end to rain. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius on Monday morning, which was 1.2 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature on Sunday was 31.6 degrees Celsius, also 1.2 degrees below normal.
The weather pattern is being monitored as the monsoon trough remains active despite the formal onset of autumn. The orange alert for Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar applies to Wednesday, while rainfall and thunderstorm warnings remain in place across several North Bengal districts through Thursday.
