City goes under water as low pressure build-up intensifies; red alert in 2 districts
The Statesman | 26 July 2025
Heavy rains continued to batter parts of West Bengal on Friday, as a well-marked low-pressure area formed over the northern Bay of Bengal moved closer to the state and Bangladesh coast, triggering widespread alerts and disruptions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alerts for West Midnapore and Bankura districts, while an orange warning is in place for several others including Hooghly, Howrah, North 24-Parganas, and Murshidabad. Kolkata remained waterlogged in several areas following overnight rains, ranging from moderate to heavy. The IMD reported that the low-pressure system, which is accompanied by a cyclonic circulation up to 7.6 km above sea level, is likely to intensify further and move in a west-northwest direction across Gangetic West Bengal in the next 24 hours. Rainfall is forecast to persist across all districts of south Bengal throughout the day, with isolated areas expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall ranging from 7 to 20 centimetres.
North Bengal districts, including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Jalpaiguri may also witness significant precipitation, alongside gusty winds at 30–40 km/h and thunderstorm activity.
In a separate incident, a 24-year-old tourist from Uttar Pradesh drowned in sea at Gangasagar despite warnings against bathing during high tide. According to local sources, the man, identified as Sandeep Gond, was part of a 30-member group that entered the sea from Ghat No. 1 on Thursday afternoon. Search and rescue operations were launched by local police and coastal authorities but yielded no result till late evening. Efforts resumed on Friday morning. Weather officials said conditions are likely to remain unstable over the weekend, urging citizens to remain cautious and follow official advisories.