In a press release issued by the Raj Bhavan, Governor Bose drew the people’s attention to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of enhanced thunderstorm activity, lightning, gusty wind, and rainfall until March 23 and advised them to remain alert.
According to the IMD forecast, a cyclonic circulation over Northwest Uttar Pradesh and neighbourhood and a trough from Jharkhand to South Assam, coupled with strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, is expected to bring thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds, and light to moderate rainfall over North Bengal until March 23 and over South Bengal until March 21.
For South Bengal, the IMD issued a yellow warning, the second grade of colour-coded weather warnings in the increasing order of severity. Thunderstorms with lightning, light to moderate rainfall, and gusty wind (reaching 40-50 kmph) are very likely to occur at one or two places in all districts on Wednesday, it said. Similar yellow warnings are also issued for Thursday, with light to moderate rainfall and gusty wind (speed reaching 30-40 kmph) likely to occur at one or two places over all districts.
As for North Bengal, the IMD issued a yellow warning from Wednesday to Saturday, predicting thunderstorms with lightning and light to moderate rainfall at one or two places across all the districts.
“On Saturday, thunderstorms with lightning with light to moderate rainfall along with gusty wind (speed reaching 30-40 kmph) likely to occur at one or two places over Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts. Heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) is likely to occur at one or two places over Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts,” read the statement issued by the IMD, asking people to stay indoors.
Kolkata experienced a thunderstorm on Tuesday with lightning and gusty winds (reaching 30-40 km/h), which is expected to continue until Thursday. The maximum temperature during the daytime reached 29.7 degrees Celsius, and humidity was 93 per cent. Both the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to drop slightly in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in Darjeeling remained at 9 degrees Celsius for the past few days. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature was 9.6 degrees Celsius, and the maximum was 18.4 degrees Celsius.