The Alipore Met Department has predicted thunderstorms for the next seven days across Kolkata, North and South Bengal. A red alert is on for five districts in North Bengal, while several districts in the south are under orange and yellow alerts.
North Bengal is already dealing with non-stop rain, which has hit life hard in the hills and Dooars. Now, the Alipore Met Office says it's Kolkata's turn. They've forecast heavy showers for the city, expected to start any moment now.
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Alerts issued for both North and South Bengal
Earlier, the red alert was just for North Bengal. But now, the weather office has issued warnings for South Bengal districts too. While the North faces a red alert for thunderstorms, the Alipore Met Office is also predicting rough weather for Kolkata and other southern districts.
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South Bengal braces for heavy downpours
Today, almost all districts in Gangetic West Bengal, including Kolkata, are on thunderstorm alert. The Met office has issued an orange alert for Purulia, Jhargram, West Medinipur, Howrah, Bankura, and Hooghly. The remaining districts in the south are under a yellow alert. This isn't a one-day thing; expect scattered storms for the next seven days, right up to Saturday.
The Met office predicts heavy rain for Kolkata this Saturday and Sunday, with rainfall possibly reaching 7-11 cm. This same forecast applies to nearby Howrah, Hooghly, and both 24 Parganas. In fact, Kolkata can expect some rain every day from Monday to Saturday. The city's maximum temperature today will hover around 35 degrees Celsius.
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More rain and gusty winds on the way
On Monday, an orange alert is active for West Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, both Bardhamans, Birbhum, and Murshidabad. These areas could see thunderstorms along with gusty winds blowing at 40 to 50 km/h. Also, expect heavy rain in both Medinipur districts and Jhargram this week.
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Red alert for five districts in North Bengal
A red alert for extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) is in place for Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar on Monday. The heavy downpours will continue into Tuesday. The good news? The weather office says there will be no alerts from Thursday onwards.
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So, why is it raining so much?
Wondering what's causing all this rain? A seasonal weather trough is stretching from Punjab to Bihar. At the same time, a huge amount of moisture is flowing in from the Bay of Bengal. This combination has created the perfect conditions for heavy rain across both North and South Bengal.
