West Bengal is on alert for another wet spell as a fresh upper-air cyclonic circulation is set to develop over the north Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that under its influence, a low-pressure area is likely to form within 24 hours, triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds across the state till Thursday.
North Bengal districts such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar are also forecast to receive heavy rainfall through the week. Landslide warnings have been issued for the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, especially during periods of intense rain.
For Kolkata, the local forecast predicts generally cloudy skies for the next 24 hours, with one or two spells of light to moderate rain or thundershowers very likely. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.
South 24 Parganas may see very heavy rainfall (up to 20 cm) between Sunday and Tuesday. Daily spells of light to moderate rain are expected at most places across the region, with thunderstorms and gusty winds (30–40 kmph) adding to the risk.
A statement from the weather department said, “The upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Bangladesh & adjoining Gangetic West Bengal persisted over the same region and extended upto 7.6 km above mean sea level tilting southwestwards with height. Under its influence a low-pressure area is likely to form over the north Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal during subsequent 48 hours.”
“Subsequently it is likely to move slowly west-northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal and north Odisha & Jharkhand. The east-west trough ran from the upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Bangladesh & adjoining Gangetic West Bengal to northeast Madhya Pradesh across Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh between 3.1 & 4.5 km above mean sea level. Under their influence, light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely in some districts of West Bengal,” it added.
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A marine warning has been issued from Sunday, as squally weather with sea winds gusting up to 55 kmph is expected over the West Bengal–Odisha coast and the northern Bay of Bengal. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea until further notice due to rough to very rough sea conditions.
On Saturday morning, Bengal witnessed widespread thunderstorms and moderate rain, affecting several districts. The IMD issued a series of yellow alerts from 5.20 am, warning of gusty winds and lightning in South Bengal. Districts including South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, North 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Hooghly, Nadia, Howrah, Jhargram, East Burdwan, and Purulia remained under weather watch through the morning and late forenoon hours.
Kolkata saw a spell of thundershowers from 8.08 am, accompanied by winds at 30–40 kmph. South 24 Parganas was impacted twice— around 5.20 am and again from 8.35 am onwards — indicating sustained thunderstorm activity in the region. East Midnapore and North 24 Parganas faced similar conditions from 7.25 am, followed by alerts for West Midnapore and Nadia just after 8.45 am. Hooghly district was brought under warning around 9.40 am, and further updates issued at 10.22 am warned of thunderstorms in Purulia, Howrah, Jhargram, and East Burdwan.
On Saturday morning, Kolkata recorded a maximum of 29.3 degrees Celsius —3.6 degrees Celsius below normal—and a minimum of 26.5 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity remained high, ranging from 92% to 98%. The city also registered 15.5 mm of rainfall during the 24-hour period ending 6.30 am on Saturday.
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With the monsoon trough extending from southwest Rajasthan to Bangladesh and tilting southward with height, combined with merging cyclonic circulations, unstable weather is likely to persist across the region for the rest of the week.
Shambhavi Pandey is an intern with The Indian Express.
