North Bengal is set to face heavy rain and thunderstorms as moisture from the remnants of Cyclone Arnab moves into the region, with Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Kalimpong placed under a heavy-rain forecast for Saturday, according to the Alipore weather office. The weather system is also expected to keep parts of the region unsettled until 4 November.
The remnants of Arnab, which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast as a very severe cyclonic storm, have weakened after moving inland. The system was located over Chhattisgarh and adjoining east-central Madhya Pradesh and weakened from a well-marked low-pressure area into an ordinary low-pressure area on Friday morning.
A cyclonic circulation associated with the system extends up to about 4.5 kilometres above sea level. The circulation is drawing substantial moisture towards North Bengal, creating conditions for heavy rainfall in the northern districts. The forecast also includes scattered thunderstorms in other parts of North Bengal.
The four districts named in the Saturday warning may receive between 7 and 11 centimetres of rain. On Sunday, the warning will also cover Cooch Behar. Gusty winds may accompany scattered rain in these areas, adding to the risk of difficult travel and disruption in exposed or poorly drained locations.
The forecast marks a sharp regional contrast within West Bengal. While North Bengal faces a risk of heavy rain, the weather office has not issued a storm or heavy-rain warning for South Bengal. Some districts in the southern part of the state may receive isolated showers, but no widespread severe weather has been forecast there at present.
The unsettled weather in North Bengal is expected to continue intermittently until 4 November, after which conditions are likely to gradually become drier. The immediate forecast is significant for hill districts and the northern plains, where intense rain can affect road movement, local drainage and access between settlements, although the supplied weather update does not specify any current disruption.
A separate low-pressure area has also formed over the Andaman Sea and is currently positioned near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is moving slowly west-northwestwards and is expected to reach the south-eastern Bay of Bengal, where it may intensify into a depression by 31 October. The system is forecast to continue moving west-northwestwards over the following two days towards the Andhra Pradesh coast.
The Alipore weather office said the new system is not currently expected to affect West Bengal, while its movement and development will continue to be monitored. For North Bengal, the next key weather milestones are the heavy-rain forecast on Saturday, the expanded warning covering Cooch Behar on Sunday and the expected continuation of scattered rainfall through 4 November.
