Heavy showers lash South Bengal; Kolkata records nearly 80 mm of rainfall

On Thursday morning, heavy showers began to fall in Kolkata and surrounding regions of South Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted thunderstorms in several districts, including Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East Burdwan, and Birbhum. An orange alert was issued for these areas, with the possibility of lightning and winds up to 40 kmph in some locations.

Kolkata experienced overcast skies throughout the day, with the city recording a minimum temperature of 25.5°C, 0.8°C below the normal average. Wednesday saw a maximum temperature that was 2.9°C lower than usual, accompanied by 78.2 mm of rainfall. The state observed an average rainfall of 11.9 mm in the previous 24 hours, marking a 17% increase from the long-term average.

Scattered thunderstorms were forecast for Kolkata and neighboring areas earlier. While relief may arrive on Friday, the IMD warned that periodic rain from thunderclouds could persist in the southern districts. Further heavy rainfall was expected in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and North Dinajpur, with very heavy rainfall anticipated in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri on Thursday.

The northern districts, particularly Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar, could experience heavy rain on Friday, with some districts receiving it for several days.