Retreating monsoon drenches Kolkata pockets

KOLKATA: Clouds from a low-pressure trough, triggered by the retreating monsoon , kept Kolkata overcast on Wednesday, when various neighbourhoods were lashed by several spells of shower . The rain was heavier in south Kolkata, though the north and central, too, received steady drizzles. It poured in Salt Lake and New Town in the afternoon, following which roads in Sector V were flooded.

With the trough set to persist, the city might receive more drizzles on Thursday but heavy showers were ruled out, said the Met office . Monsoon withdrew from Kolkata and south Bengal on October 14.

Retreating or northeast monsoon, which follows the withdrawal of monsoon, set in across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala on Wednesday. It led to a thick cloud cover across the southern states and led to a north-south trough that stretched from the Tamil Nadu coast to the Odisha coast. “The trough extended between southwest to westcentral Bay of Bengal. It has led to clouds floating into the coastal districts of Bengal—South and North 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore and some parts of Howrah, apart from Kolkata. This led to light to moderate showers in the city,” said RMC director G K Das.

The rain was heavier on the southern fringes of the city, particularly Joka, Patuli, Haridevpur and some parts of south Kolkata, including Ballygunge. It also poured in Ultadanga, some parts of Salt Lake and New Town. Alipore Met office, however, recorded zero rainfall till Wednesday evening. Short, sporadic spells of shower have been predicted on Thursday. “Since monsoon has retreated, heavy rain is unlikely. Once the trough loses strength, south Bengal and Kolkata should be dry,” added Das.

Retreating monsoon usually generates scanty showers across south India. But the rain is heavier along the southeast coast in Tamil Nadu. The state receives almost half of its annual rainfall between October and December under the impact of retreating monsoon.

Monsoon bowed out of Kolkata and south Bengal on Tuesday with an 11% deficit .