Thunderstorms, rain to continue in Kolkata, south Bengal

Kolkata, March 28 (IANS) Following a squall that swept across Kolkata and several districts overnight, the Met department on Saturday forecast an intensification of rain accompanied by thunderstorms later in the day, particularly across south Bengal.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata's Alipore said that the current spell of rain is due to a western disturbance. Last night, due to thunderstorms and rain, Union Home Minister Amit Shah's aircraft was unable to land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and circled in mid-air for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, there is no respite from this inclement weather today either. Further rainfall has been forecast for Saturday and Sunday. An 'Orange Alert' has been issued for Saturday for six districts of south Bengal, including Kolkata. Gusty winds, blowing at speeds of 50 to 60 km per hour, are likely to occur. There is a possibility of heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.

The sudden rain and storms have brought relief from the intense heat. Temperatures have dropped significantly in a single leap. In Kolkata, the minimum temperature dropped to 20.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, which is 4.4 degrees below the average.

Temperatures are expected to remain relatively low over the next few days as well. The Met Office said that due to a cyclonic circulation currently positioned over southern Gangetic Bengal, there is a possibility of storms and rain across the districts of south Bengal over the coming days.

The probability of the current weather is particularly high in the western districts. Forecasts also indicate the possibility of storms and rain in north Bengal.

On Saturday, the Met department predicted rain in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, and East Burdwan districts. This will be accompanied by gusty winds, with wind speeds potentially ranging between 40 and 50 km per hour.

On Sunday, the volume of rainfall may increase slightly further in certain parts of south Bengal. On Monday, light rain may occur in one or two isolated spots across the districts of East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bankura, and Nadia, the weather department said. Dry weather is expected in the other districts of West Bengal. The Met department predicts improvement in weather conditions thereafter.

The volume of rainfall in north Bengal is expected to decrease on Sunday, with light to moderate rain occurring in some localised areas. On Monday, light rain may occur in one or two isolated spots across the five upper districts: Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar.

--IANS

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