Calcutta, September 15, 2024 – Calcutta experienced intermittent rain and overcast skies throughout Friday as a low-pressure system continued to gain strength over the Bay of Bengal. The city braced for heavier rainfall over the weekend, with the Met office predicting “heavy to very heavy rain” ranging from 70mm to 200mm between Friday morning and Saturday morning.
By 8:30 PM on Friday, the Alipore weather station had recorded approximately 35mm of rainfall, though meteorologists cautioned that heavier downpours were still possible through Saturday.
“Generally cloudy skies with heavy rain or thundershowers and one or two intense spells are expected in the next 24 hours,” stated the Met forecast for the city, issued late Friday afternoon.
Dark clouds loomed over Calcutta since late morning, and showers arrived in several phases, often accompanied by gusty winds. The intensity of the wind, shaking trees and rattling windows, indicated that these were more than typical monsoon rains.
The weather system, which was a cyclonic circulation over southeast Bangladesh on Thursday morning, had intensified into a low-pressure area by Friday morning, according to Met officials. “The system moved west-northwestwards and became a well-marked low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bangladesh coast by 8:30 AM on Friday,” said a Met official.
The system is expected to intensify into a depression by Saturday as it moves towards coastal Bengal. The low-pressure area is projected to extend 50-60 kilometers inland, bringing more rainfall across the region.
A Met bulletin warned of “extremely heavy rain” exceeding 200mm in districts like Bankura and West Midnapore on Saturday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely in East and West Burdwan, East Midnapore, Jhargram, Birbhum, and Purulia. Most districts of South Bengal will experience significant rainfall on Saturday.
On Sunday, heavy rain is expected to continue in Jhargram, Purulia, West Burdwan, and Birbhum.
While depressions over the sea can intensify into cyclones, Met officials predict that this system will lose momentum after becoming a depression.
Wind speeds of 30-40km/h, with gusts up to 50km/h, are forecast for areas including North and South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Calcutta, and East and West Midnapore on Saturday.
Fishermen have been advised to avoid venturing into the sea due to rough conditions. The Met bulletin warned of squally weather with winds reaching speeds of 35-45km/h and gusts up to 55km/h along the West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Odisha coasts, as well as in the North Bay of Bengal. These conditions are expected to persist until Sunday.
Read Now:India-China Troop Disengagement Progresses in Ladakh: Officials Announce Stability Along Border
