West Bengal is set for several days of rain and strong winds as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal moves towards landfall between Gopalpur and Visakhapatnam, with heavy rain forecast in six south Bengal districts on Wednesday and weather alerts in all districts on Thursday and Friday.
The Alipore weather office said in a special bulletin issued at around 9 pm on Tuesday that the low-pressure system over the west-central and adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal had intensified into a deep depression by 5.30 pm. It was moving west and north-west at about 7 kilometres per hour during the previous six hours.
According to the latest information cited in the bulletin, the system was located about 210 kilometres south and south-west of Puri, 220 kilometres east of Visakhapatnam and 150 kilometres from Gopalpur. The depression is expected to enter land on Wednesday night through the coastal stretch between Gopalpur and Visakhapatnam.
South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura may receive heavy rain on Wednesday, with rainfall of 7 to 11 centimetres forecast. South 24 Parganas and the two Midnapore districts may also experience winds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. The three districts have been placed under an orange alert.
Kolkata and the remaining districts of south Bengal are under a yellow alert for Wednesday. Gusty winds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour are possible in these areas. While Kolkata is expected to receive rain and face strong-wind conditions, the weather office has not forecast heavy rain in the city at present.
The weather is expected to intensify in parts of the state on Thursday. East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram may receive heavy to very heavy rain, ranging from 7 to 20 centimetres. Heavy rain is also forecast in South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Purulia, West Burdwan, Birbhum and Howrah. Weather alerts have been issued across all districts for the day.
On Friday, heavy rain is forecast in Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia and West Burdwan. South 24 Parganas and both Midnapore districts remain under an orange alert for winds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. All south Bengal districts are expected to remain under rain and strong-wind alerts until Friday, while the intensity may reduce from Saturday.
The system is also expected to affect north Bengal, although the deep depression is not forecast to pass directly over the region. From Tuesday to Thursday, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur may receive moderate to heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms. On Friday, very heavy rain is forecast in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, while Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar may receive heavy rain.
With the Bay remaining rough, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea along the West Bengal and Odisha coasts from Tuesday to Friday. Squally winds in the west-central Bay of Bengal may reach a maximum speed of 75 kilometres per hour on Wednesday and Thursday. The restriction is the main immediate precaution ahead of the system’s expected movement towards the coast.
