Kolkata, Sep 3 — Amid an ongoing spell of heavy rainfall across West Bengal, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata on Thursday issued an orange alert for heavy rain in eight south Bengal districts over the next 24 hours, attributing the weather conditions to an active low-pressure area over the region.
According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall is likely in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East Burdwan and Birbhum districts. Gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph are also expected at isolated places, while frequent thunderstorms may occur in some areas during the warning period.
Rainfall has already commenced in Kolkata and adjoining areas since Thursday morning, with widespread thunderstorms forecast later in the day. Heavy showers are also likely across several southern districts, raising concerns of waterlogging in low-lying areas.
The minimum temperature in Kolkata was recorded at 25.5 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, while Wednesday's maximum temperature remained 2.9 degrees below normal. The city received 78.2 mm of rainfall on Wednesday.
The Met office said heavy rainfall is likely in Birbhum and Murshidabad districts on Thursday. While rainfall activity in south Bengal may subside slightly from Friday, scattered thunderstorms are expected to continue. Weather activity could intensify again in the southern districts from Monday.
Meanwhile, north Bengal has been witnessing intense rainfall over the past few days. The situation is expected to persist across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts on Thursday. Heavy rainfall is forecast in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur, while Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar are likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall in the coming days.
Heavy rain is also expected across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar on Friday, with Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar likely to continue receiving heavy showers for a few more days thereafter, the Met office said in a statement.