Heavy rain likely today as low pressure intensifies
Times of India | 17 August 2026
Kolkata: Brace for more rain as a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is set to trigger heavy in Kolkata and many other southern districts between Sunday and Monday. The city had already started getting few spells of light rain by Sunday afternoon due to the system which is likely to intensify further by Monday morning.
“For Kolkata the maximum impact will be between Sunday night and Monday during which the city is likely to get some heavy rain spell,” said meteorologist Sourish Bandyopadhaya of Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata,
This will be the second low pressure area affecting the rain pattern in Kolkata and other southern districts within a week. But unlike the last one the system this time is expected to trigger heavier rain. Met officials said that even as the system last time was close to the city a weather system over UP had sucked the moisture out of the system, making the city escape only to spells of light to moderate rain.
Formed on Sunday morning the low pressure persisted over Northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-North Odisha coast. The associated cyclonic circulation extends upto 7.6 km above mean sea level tilting southwestwards with height. The system is very likely to move Northwestwards and become more marked during next 24 hours.
According to an special IMD bulletin the monsoon trough at mean sea level now passes through Amritsar, Ludhiana, Moradabad Lucknow, Varanasi, centre of Low Pressure Area over Northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-North Odisha coasts and thence southeastwards to Eastcentral Bay of Bengal.
“In view of above meteorological conditions, enhanced rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over some districts of south Bengal during 16 to 18 August with extremely heavy rainfall very likely at one or two places over some districts on Aug 17, 2026,” said the special bulletin.
Met officials said Kolkata could some intense spell of rain starting Sunday night through Monday morning, with the possibility of the 24 hour accumulating between 70 to 110 mm.