Written by Shambhavi Pandey
West Bengal can anticipate continued rainfall and generally cloudy skies for the next seven days starting Monday, according to the IMD. This persistent wet spell is influenced by several prevailing meteorological conditions.
The weather office predicts generally cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain or thunderstorms. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 31 and 27 degrees Celsius respectively. Rainy or cloudy conditions are forecast to persist even through the upcoming weekend.
Heavy rain (7-11 cm) is likely at one or two places in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar, with Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar also under threat of very heavy rainfall (up to 20 cm), for the next two days. The IMD has flagged a landslide risk in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, urging residents to avoid landslide-prone zones and seek shelter during thunderstorm activity.
In South Bengal, the IMD issued yellow alerts for June 24 across districts including Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, Hooghly, and South 24 Parganas. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph are expected at one or two locations. From June 25 onwards, Purulia, Paschim Bardhaman, and Jhargram are likely to experience heavy rainfall in isolated areas.
Meanwhile, Kolkata remained mostly overcast through Monday, with light to moderate showers expected at many locations. Temperatures hovered around 30.2 degrees Celsius during the day and 27.2 degrees Celsius on its intervening night from Sunday, while relative humidity peaked at 94 percent.
Looking ahead, the IMD has cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea along the West Bengal-Odisha coast between June 25 and 26, citing squally winds up to 55 kmph and rough sea conditions. With the monsoon trough active across the region, weather conditions are expected to remain unstable through the week. Authorities have advised people to avoid open fields during lightning activity, refrain from sheltering under trees or power lines, and stay updated with official forecasts.
Factors contributing to the weather include a trough, extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level and running from a cyclonic circulation over central parts of south Uttar Pradesh to the northwest Bay of Bengal, and an upper air cyclonic circulation situated over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal.
Writer is an intern at indianexpress.com