50kmph thunderstorm, showers lash Kolkata, pull down mercury
Times of India | 3 May 2026
Kolkata: The city and its adjoining districts were lashed by a thunderstorm on Saturday evening that struck with a wind speed of 50 kmph. It was followed by an intense rain that lasted for an hour, followed by a drizzle that continued for another hour. Thunderstorms also struck parts of Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas.
The thunderstorm pulled the mercury down after a cloudy and humid afternoon. The rain left several roads waterlogged in central, south and north Kolkata.
"Thunderstorm and gusty winds at 50 kmph lashed Kolkata at 5 pm on Saturday. The city received 8.3 mm of rain till 5.30 pm," said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) weather scientist Sourish Bandopadhyay.
Brace for more rain and thunderstorms as Bengal's political fate is decided on Monday, said the Met office. Intense thunderstorms are likely to strike parts of south Bengal, including Kolkata, on Monday and Tuesday. While light to moderate storms lashed various parts of the region on Saturday, they could continue on Sunday, triggered by a trough that runs from Madhya Pradesh to Manipur across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bengal and Bangladesh. This has been aided by an upper air circulation over Gangetic Bengal.
"In view of the favourable wind pattern and strong moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal, thunderstorm and associated activities are likely to continue over the districts of West Bengal," said a bulletin issued by the RMC on Saturday.
"We expect moderate to intense thunderstorms across south Bengal with wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph on Tuesday. They are likely to continue on Wednesday and gradually lose intensity over the subsequent two days. So, the city is likely to remain cloudy with intermittent rain, which could remain light to moderate till the middle of next week," said deputy director-general of meteorology HR Biswas.
The RMC bulletin predicted light to moderate rain and thundershower at ‘many places over Jhargram, Bankura, East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas and Howrah on Sunday'. Thunderstorm, lightning and gusty wind (speed reaching 50-60 kmph) are ‘very likely to occur at one or two places over all districts of south Bengal' on Tuesday. Light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely at most places in Purulia, Bankura, East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas and the rest of south Bengal on Wednesday along with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty wind (40-50 kmph). An orange alert and yellow alert have been issued for most of south Bengal on Tuesday, while a yellow alert is on for parts of south Bengal on Wednesday.
On Saturday, Kolkata remained under a partial cloud cover with maximum temperature reaching 32°C, three notches below normal. Maximum temperature will remain below normal in Kolkata during this rainy phase, said Biswas.