Heavy rains lash Kolkata, West Bengal
(Subhrajit Chandra/BCCL Kolkata)
Bengalis might experience another wet Puja this year. The Alipore Meteorological department has predicted that the formation of a depression in the sea of Andaman might create a favourable condition for showers in South Bengal, including Kolkata, between October 13-15.
The four days of Durga Puja start in West Bengal on October 12 and ends on October 15.
The cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal has lost its strength leading to sunny days in South Bengal, but the MeT department said that another low depression is likely to form in the seas of Andaman from Sunday. The depression will gradually gain strength and move towards North Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
According to the weather office, the low pressure will create favourable conditions for rainfall in several districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata, from October 13-15.
The Alipore Meteorological Office said the sky would be cloudy in South Bengal for the next few days and there would be scattered light to moderate rains. The districts of South Bengal received less rainfall from Saturday to Tuesday, but the precipitation will increase again in North and South Bengal from Wednesday.
The department has also predicted that the sky in Kolkata will be partly cloudy from Friday onwards, and there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms. Daytime temperatures are expected to be 2 to 3 degrees higher than normal. Due to this gloomy atmosphere, the discomfort index will be high. Humidity will be on the rise, and that will lead to an uncomfortable situation. In the next 24 hours, the maximum temperature in Kolkata will be around 34°C and the minimum will be around 27°C.
In the last 24 hours, the minimum daytime temperature in Kolkata was 27°C, 2 degrees above normal. The maximum humidity in the air was 97%. There has been no rain in Kolkata in the last 24 hours.
The MeT department has also predicted that while the monsoon is showing signs of withdrawal from the entire country, it is yet to be over in West Bengal. This year the districts of Gangetic West Bengal received 31% more rainfall in this monsoon, with the city recording nearly double (96%) rainfall than the normal making it the wettest September in this decade.
In general, though, North Bengal receives more rain than South Bengal. But this year, the process was reversed. Gangetic West Bengal recorded a surplus rainfall of nearly 31%, and North Bengal and Sikkim received 9% deficit rainfall in this monsoon (between June 1 and September 30). However, the MeT department predicted heavy rains in North Bengal in the next couple of days, and it is expected that this will reduce the deficit to a considerable portion.
According to the meteorological department, though the state witnessed a comparatively dry August this year with 34% deficit rainfall across the state, the excessive rainfall in September has helped recover the deficit and allowed a surplus rain in the state.
In September, the state received 39% excess, while Gangetic Bengal had a surplus of 80% rain. North Bengal, which usually receives more rain than the south, has been dry this year. Along with Sikkim, North Bengal has a 9% rain deficit, down from a 40% deficit in north Bengal and Sikkim last month.
As far as Kolkata is concerned, the city received nearly 96% more rainfall in September this year. The normal rain count for Kolkata in September is 318 mm. This year, it received 613 mm, said the MeT office. The city has rarely had such a wet September in recent years, said the weathermen.
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The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.
