88 kmph winds wreck havoc in city, 7 dead in state
The Statesman | 31 May 2026
A powerful spell of thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and gusty winds lashed Kolkata and several districts of south Bengal on Friday afternoon, disrupting normal life, affecting flight, metro and train services, uprooting trees and causing at least one death in the city. According to various sources, 7 people lost their lives due to the storm, including one in the city.
Dark clouds had gathered over Kolkata and adjoining areas since morning amid oppressive humidity. As the afternoon progressed, the sky turned unusually dark and heavy rain began sweeping across several parts of the city, including Salt Lake, Esplanade, Dum Dum, Jadavpur and Baranagar. Strong winds battered the metropolis for more than an hour, leaving several roads blocked and traffic movement severely affected.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, the storm intensity peaked between 2.45 p.m. and 2.47 p.m. when wind speeds touched 88 kmph in Alipore. In Dum Dum, wind speed reached 74 kmph between 2.29 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. Officials said favourable wind patterns and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal are likely to trigger enhanced thunderstorm activity across south Bengal over the next two days. A tragic incident was reported from the Prinsep Ghat-Babughat area where a man died after being electrocuted during the storm.
Sources said he had gone to collect mangoes beneath a mango tree near the railway tracks at Prinsep Ghat when a large branch snapped and fell on him, causing severe head injuries. The broken branch reportedly fell on overhead electric wires, sparking a fire in the area. He was rescued and taken to hospital where doctors declared him dead. Reports of deaths while collecting mangoes also emerged from districts outside Kolkata. The storm brought parts of the city to a standstill. Metro services were temporarily disrupted while traffic movement across several key roads slowed significantly due to uprooted trees and waterlogging.
At least one section of the roof at Kshudiram Metro station in south Kolkata was damaged, allowing rainwater to enter the station premises. Several roads, including Rashbehari Avenue, Harish Mukherjee Road, AJC Bose Road, Park Street, Ripon Street, Tollygunge and Netaji Nagar, witnessed fallen trees and snapped branches. In some areas of central and north Kolkata, including Chandni Chowk and Thanthania, roads remained waterlogged for hours. At South City Mall, glass panels reportedly shattered as rainwater entered the premises. At the city airport, flight operations remained suspended for nearly an hour due to poor visibility and strong winds. Train services were also disrupted on multiple suburban routes. In the Bongaon section, train movement was affected after a tree fell on tracks near Madhyamgram station. Services on the Bandel-Katwa branch were disrupted after a tree collapsed near Katwa rail gate around 2.45 p.m, forcing an up Katwa local train to halt shortly after leaving Bandel station.
Railway workers later cleared the obstruction and services resumed after around 45 minutes. Heavy rain and thunderstorms also swept across Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram and East Burdwan districts. The weather office issued red alerts for six south Bengal districts, warning of thunderstorms with wind speeds of 60-70 kmph along with moderate rainfall. Dr Habibur Rahman Biswas, director of the Alipore Meteorological Department, said thunderstorms are likely to continue in districts on Saturday though Kolkata may witness comparatively less impact. The weather office has advised residents to avoid venturing outdoors during thunderstorms and warned fishermen against venturing into the sea.