Written by Parthivee Mukherji
Monsoon continues to grip West Bengal with forecast of steady spells of rain and thunderstorm activities across both North and South Bengal till the end of this week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for multiple districts too.
In South Bengal, districts including Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, and Birbhum are under yellow alert for the rest of the week.
Thursday’s IMD bulletin has put all South Bengal districts on alert for thunderstorm activity on August 14, with wind speed expected to reach 30-40 kmph. The IMD has also predicted light to moderate rain for the next two days, with the intensity of the showers expected to decrease. The IMD said South Bengal will later experience a more subdued weather pattern.
For Kolkata, the weathermen have predicted light to moderate rain and thundershowers until the end of Thursday.
Prediction for North Bengal
According to the IMD, North Bengal will continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing monsoon. According to the bulletin, North Bengal districts — Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Coochbehar — have been put under yellow alerts amid a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall of 7-11 cm.
The IMD has flagged risks of waterlogging and reduced visibility and possible landslides, advising residents to avoid movement in waterlogged areas. The IMD has also asked people to take shelters in safe places during thunderstorms. Meanwhile, the temperature has dropped by two to four degree Celsius in the area amid incessant rain spells.
In a statement, the IMD said, “The low-pressure area, over West Central and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha coasts, lies over northwest and adjoining areas of West Central Bay of Bengal and South Odisha-North Andhra Pradesh coasts at 8:30 am on August 14. Heavy rainfall activity is very likely to decrease over North Bengal. Widespread light to moderate rainfall with heavy rainfall at one or two places is very likely to occur over some districts of North Bengal.”
(Parthivee Mukherji is an intern with The Indian Express)