On rainiest day this month, city gets more than 65 mm showers
Times of India | 19 August 2024
Kolkata: The city was drenched by a heavy downpour that continued for several hours between Sunday morning and afternoon and resumed in the evening after a brief lull, leaving several roads waterlogged and traffic crawling across thoroughfares. By 12 noon, Kolkata had received 51 mm rain which swelled to 54.4 mm by evening, making it the rainiest Aug day so far.
The rain count touched 65.2 mm during 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday evening.
The thick cloud cover and the rain were triggered by a low-pressure system over Bangladesh and adjoining Bengal. It has been aided by the monsoon trough that now stretches from Rajasthan to the centre of the low-pressure area over south Bangladesh and adjoining areas of Bengal.
A bulletin issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) on Sunday said light to moderate rain will continue in most parts of south Bengal till Aug 21. Heavy to very heavy rain has been predicted at one or two places in South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East and West Burdwan on Monday and Tuesday.
The showers may lose intensity from Tuesday, said weathermen. “Kolkata will receive rain on Monday though the spells could weaken. It depends on the position and the movement of the low-pressure which is now close to south Bengal. Till it moves away, the rain will continue,” said RMC weather scientist HR Biswas.
The rain led to waterlogging across several parts of north, central and south Kolkata. VIP Road, Chittaranjan Avenue, MG Road, Bidhan Sarani, Sukeas Street, Muktaram Babu Street, parts of College Street, pockets of Dum Dum got flooded. The water, however, receded in a few hours.
Almost the entire city received uniform rain on Sunday. According to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation pumping station records, Maniktala received the heaviest rain in Kolkata – 76 mm. It was closely followed by Palmar Bazar which recorded 71.5 mm, Ultadanga with 69 mm and Marcus Square with 65 mm. While the Dhapa lock gate recorded 57 mm, Topsia clocked 55 mm and Kamdahari 54 mm. None of the stations recorded less than 40 mm rain.
Earlier this month, Dum Dum, had recorded 97 mm rain under the impact of a low-pressure area. Kolkata, however, recorded much lighter rain that day. On Monday, the city may receive spells of light to moderate rain with one or two intense spells of 20-30 mm per hour, predicted RMC. Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 31 degree Celsius on Sunday which could drop by a degree on Monday.