Written by Anisha Ghosh
The southern districts of West Bengal are set to witness a prolonged spell of wet weather, with light to moderate rain and thundershowers expected over the coming week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
For Monday, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for several South Bengal districts, including North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, and Bankura, warning of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph at one or two places.
While scattered showers are expected across the region, the advisory also highlights risks of waterlogging in low-lying urban areas and urges residents to avoid taking shelter under trees or electric poles during lightning. In North Bengal, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Coochbehar are placed under a yellow alert, which has warned of thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph at one or two places.
“Residents to remain cautious, avoid open areas during thunderstorms, and prepare for possible waterlogging and traffic disruptions in urban areas,” the IMD advised in its midday bulletin.
On Monday, Kolkata experienced a generally cloudy sky with a maximum temperature of 28.2°C and a minimum temperature of 26°C. Humidity levels were very high, ranging from 79 per cent to 97 per cent. Only 001.1 mm of rainfall was recorded in the last 24 hours.
“The trough now runs from upper air cyclonic circulation over south Haryana and adjoining northeast Rajasthan to the centre of cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha-West Bengal coasts across south Uttar Pradesh, northeast Madhya Pradesh, north Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, southern parts of Gangetic West Bengal between 1.5 & 3.1 km above mean sea level, which led to very light to moderate rainfall at most places over Gangetic West Bengal and Sub Himalayan West Bengal. Gusty winds were recorded at one or two places over South 24 Parganas district of Gangetic West Bengal” the IMD said in the bulletin.
Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express, Kolkata.