Heavy shower, day-long drizzle, clouds bring max down to 31.3°C
Times of India | 27 May 2025
123 Kolkata: The city was drenched by a spell of heavy rain for almost two hours on Monday morning as the southwest monsoon advanced towards north Bengal and the north Bay of Bengal. While the Met office issued a heavy rain alert for the latter half of the week, the Monday morning rain was a pleasant surprise after a warm and humid Sunday. The rain returned in the afternoon as steady drizzle and continued in isolated spells till late in the evening. Kolkata received 37.2 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Monday.Kolkata and its neighbouring districts are set to receive more rain on Tuesday. Under the impact of a low-pressure area likely to form over the west-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, the showers may get heavier across south Bengal, including Kolkata, from Wednesday and continue till the weekend. Monday's rain was triggered by a low-pressure trough line that extended from central India to the Bay of Bengal. "It was supplemented by moisture flowing in from the sea with southeasterly winds. The conditions turned favourable for rain. The showers may lose intensity on Tuesday but intensify from Wednesday," said Regional Meteorological Centre weather scientist H R Biswas.A thick cloud cover pulled the maximum temperature down to 31.3°C, three-and-a-half notches below normal, on Monday. Thunderstorms with gusty winds reaching speeds of 30 kmph-40 kmph have been predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday across south Bengal districts. Heavy rainfall — 70 mm-110 mm — is expected in one or two places in North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, and West Burdwan.Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at one or two places in East and West Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, West and East Midnapore, and Hooghly on Friday and may continue till Saturday.An RMC bulletin said: "Southwest monsoon has advanced into some more parts of the west-central and north Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Mizoram, entire Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, some parts of Assam and Meghalaya, on Monday. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of the north Bay of Bengal and remaining parts of the northeastern states and some parts of sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim during the next three days. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds may continue for the next three to four days," the RMC added.Monsoon may arrive in pa-rts of north Bengal in three-four days, the Met has not predicted a date for south Bengal.