Kolkata witnessed a major disaster on Tuesday as record-breaking rainfall submerged the city in waist-deep water, claiming nine lives. The unprecedented rain has raised fears of another spell of showers in the coming days.
The Alipore Meteorological Office has warned that a new low-pressure area is likely to form in the Bay of Bengal from Thursday. While its trajectory may not be directly towards Bengal, it is expected to have some impact on the region. Habibur Rahman Biswas, Eastern Regional Director of the Alipore Meteorological Office, cautioned that concerns remain and warnings and restrictions have been issued for fishermen.
According to the forecast, on Thursday (Chaturthi), the low-pressure area will form in the northwest and central Bay of Bengal and gradually move westwards. By Friday (Panchami), it is expected to develop into a deep depression in the west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal, affecting the coasts of South Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh. It is likely to make landfall along the Odisha and Andhra coasts on Saturday.
For Wednesday, the sky over Kolkata and adjoining areas is expected to remain generally cloudy, with light to moderate rain and a few thunderstorms predicted. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 31°C and 24°C, respectively.
Heavy rainfall is forecast for coastal districts, with Kolkata also expected to receive significant rainfall. The meteorological office has issued heavy rain warnings for districts including East Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and Bankura Jhargram, while light to moderate rainfall is expected across Bengal due to the influence of the intensifying low-pressure area. Scattered heavy showers may occur in districts adjacent to the coast and Odisha.
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Rain and thunderstorm warnings remain in effect across all South Bengal districts for Thursday and Friday. A heavy rain alert has also been issued for Bankura, East Medinipur, Howrah and South 24 Parganas on Saturday. Other districts, including Kolkata, are likely to experience rain accompanied by thunderstorms.
North Bengal remains relatively unaffected at present, with only light to moderate rainfall and thunder expected in Malda and Dinajpur. Hilly areas may see scattered heavy rain on Friday.
On Tuesday, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 28.4°C, 4.1°C below normal, and a minimum temperature of 24.6°C, 1.4°C below normal. Relative humidity ranged between 89 per cent and 98 per cent, with 3.6 mm of rainfall recorded in the past 24 hours.
Also Read: What triggered Kolkata floods
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