Kolkata is bracing for days of stormy weather as a deep depression that intensified over the Bay of Bengal made landfall near Odisha’s Gopalpur on Tuesday, triggering heavy rains, gusty winds, and warnings of rough seas.
The system, expected to drench large parts of southern Bengal through the week, has already prompted the weather office to issue an alert for the city, where thunderstorms and heavy downpours could disrupt normal life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system, which had strengthened into a deep depression, made landfall close to Gopalpur and is now hovering over parts of southern Odisha and neighboring Chhattisgarh. It is expected to gradually lose intensity, but forecasters warn the impact will be felt across eastern India for several days, said a Met official.
While the system is not likely to severely affect West Bengal, the IMD has forecast scattered thunderstorms and moderate rainfall across most of southern Bengal, including Kolkata, through the week. Wind speeds of 30-40 kilometres per hour (about 20–25 mph) are expected to accompany showers on Tuesday in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24-Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, and Bankura. On Wednesday, Murshidabad district will also come under alert. From Thursday, rainfall intensity is forecast to increase, with heavy downpours likely in South 24-Parganas, followed by North and South 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, East Burdwan, Murshidabad, and Nadia on Friday.
The wet spell is likely to continue until early next week, officials said. The weather office has also issued a warning to fishermen, advising them not to venture into the rough seas off the Odisha and Bengal coasts until Friday, as the northern Bay of Bengal will remain turbulent. Northern Bengal will not be spared either. Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar districts are forecast to receive thunderstorms on Tuesday, with heavy rainfall expected in Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, and Alipurduar from Wednesday through Friday. On Tuesday, Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius (79.5°F), slightly above normal, while the maximum on Monday was 32°C (89.6°F).