A deep depression that had formed over the Bay of Bengal has weakened into a regular low-pressure system and moved inland over Bangladesh, prompting forecasts of heavy rainfall across parts of eastern India and southern Bangladesh through the weekend, officials said on Friday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system had gradually weakened over the past six hours and was currently centred approximately 60 kilometres west-southwest of Tangail and 110 kilometres west-northwest of Dhaka. It was moving north-northeast at a speed of about 20 kilometres per hour. From the city of Berhampur in West Bengal, the low-pressure system was located roughly 120 kilometres to the north-northwest. It is expected to weaken further over the next 24 hours and move northward as a well-marked low-pressure area.
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In southern West Bengal, heavy rainfall (ranging from 7 to 11 cm) is likely on Friday in the districts of North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, and Nadia. Isolated thunderstorms and showers may occur across the rest of the region, though no fresh warnings have been issued for other southern districts.
On Saturday, rain and thunderstorms are expected in East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum, and Murshidabad. Meanwhile, the monsoon has officially entered north Bengal, and torrential rains are forecast to continue across northern districts through Sunday. Very heavy rainfall (12 to 20 cm) is likely on Friday in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar. Malda, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur may also experience heavy showers. Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 25.6 degrees Celsius on Friday, 1.6 degrees below normal. The city’s maximum temperature on Thursday was 29.7 degrees Celsius, 5.4 degrees below the seasonal average.