The Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata Sunday issued a weather alert for West Bengal, forecasting thundershowers and gusty winds across the state until April 15.
According to the weather office, an upper air cyclonic circulation has formed over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Additionally, a trough runs from northeast Madhya Pradesh to Bangladesh across Jharkhand, extending to 0.9 km above mean sea level. Another trough runs from central Assam to the west-central Bay of Bengal at a height of 3.1 km above mean sea level.
The Met department said these weather systems are creating favourable wind patterns and drawing significant moisture from the Bay of Bengal into the state. As a result, widespread thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and strong gusty surface winds are expected in several districts of West Bengal till April 15.
A specific warning for thunderstorms has also been issued for all districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata, on Monday.
The intensity of thunderstorms is expected to be particularly high in the districts of West Medinipur, Jhargram, East Medinipur, and Purulia, where gusty winds could reach speeds of 40-50 kmph. Scattered rainfall is likely to persist in South Bengal even after Monday, although its impact is expected to lessen. The weather office does not foresee major temperature fluctuations in the coming days, with a slight dip possible owing to storms and rainfall.
In North Bengal, scattered rain and thundershowers are expected to continue in the upper hilly regions until Wednesday. A heavy rain warning has been issued for Darjeeling on Sunday. The remaining districts are likely to experience light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms with gusty winds at speeds of 30-40 kmph are predicted for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Alipurduar. The wind speed could escalate to 50-60 kmph in the Malda and North and South Dinajpur districts. The weather office anticipates a decrease in both the amount of rainfall and the impact of storms in North Bengal from Monday.
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In Kolkata, the maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 34.2 degree Celsius, which is 1.5 degree Celsius below normal. The minimum temperature was 26.4 degree Celsius, 0.8 degree Celsius above normal. The relative humidity ranged between a maximum of 88 per cent and a minimum of 53 per cent.
For the next 24 hours, Kolkata may experience a partly cloudy sky with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 34 degree Celsius and 25 degree Celsius, respectively, according to a weather official.
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