West Bengal’s rain forecast remains uneven this week, with the southwest monsoon weakening over South Bengal but thunderstorms, gusty winds and isolated rain expected across several districts, according to the Alipore weather office. Kolkata and other parts of South Bengal may continue to receive intermittent showers, while North Bengal remains under weather alerts in phases.
The weather office said the monsoon’s withdrawal process has not yet begun over West Bengal, although the system has weakened across South Bengal. The official withdrawal date for South Bengal is generally October 10. Despite periods of strong sunshine, scattered rain is expected to continue, followed by humid conditions.
On Tuesday, a yellow alert has been issued for Bankura, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia. These districts may receive light rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds moving at 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. The alert indicates a need for caution during thunderstorms, particularly for people travelling or working outdoors.
For Wednesday, the yellow alert covers North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purulia, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia. All districts of South Bengal are expected to remain under a storm-and-rain warning on Thursday. After that, isolated light rain may continue in one or two places in different districts until Saturday.
North Bengal will also see unsettled weather, although the forecast for heavy rain is expected to ease from Tuesday. On Monday, heavy rain was possible in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri. From Tuesday, yellow alerts cover Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda, where light rain, lightning and winds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour are possible.
The weather office has forecast similar alerts across all eight districts of North Bengal on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the warning is limited to Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar. No further storm-and-rain alert has been indicated for North Bengal after that period, based on the bulletin reported by Anandabazar.
The Alipore weather office attributed the week’s scattered thunderstorms and rain to three troughs and two cyclonic circulations. One trough extends from Gangetic West Bengal to central Maharashtra, another from northwest Uttar Pradesh to east Bangladesh, and a third from northeast Bihar to the northeast Bay of Bengal. A cyclonic circulation lies over Bihar and adjoining areas, while another is positioned over Sikkim and neighbouring regions.
For Kolkata and other urban areas in South Bengal, the intermittent nature of the forecast means conditions may change sharply within the same day, from bright sunshine to a short spell of rain and then increased humidity. The warnings also bring operational concerns for road users, outdoor workers and local authorities managing stormwater, traffic and public safety. The next significant weather milestone is the expected continuation of district-level alerts through Thursday, followed by scattered light rain in parts of South Bengal until Saturday.
