Wind returns, weathermen predict rain later this week

KOLKATA: Gusty winds returned to cyclone-battered Kolkata on Monday. The sky remained cloudy and the mercury dropped to 29.2°C, two notches below normal.


The breeze brought back horrors of inclement weather with the scars of Amphan still fresh. But weathermen dispelled fears of heavy rain in Kolkata.

However, light to moderate showers are likely between Thursday and Saturday, they said. Several north Bengal districts on Monday received thundershowers under the impact of a low-pressure.

Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 32.1°C on Monday.

A low-pressure trough between Uttar Pradesh and Assam triggered thundershowers across north Bengal. It was aided by a high-pressure zone above Bay of Bengal which supplied moisture and led to the breeze. “The wind from the sea travelled from south to north across Kolkata which led to the breeze in the city. It will continue as long as the low-pressure in north Bengal exists,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das.

He added that while Kolkata would remain windy on Tuesday, showers are imminent from Thursday. “A cyclonic circulation is set to form over Jharkhand around Thursday. It will attract moisture from the sea and lead to rain. The showers could be light on Thursday but might get moderate over the weekend,” said Das. He said the rain could be light but may continue till June 1.

Meanwhile, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri , Cooch Behar, North and South Dinajpur received thundershowers on Monday. The districts were lashed by 30kmph-40kmph wind. The wind and cloud floated into south Bengal from the low-pressure trough between Uttar Pradesh and Assam. That didn’t lead to rain, though. “The wind blew at a reasonably good speed but it had nothing to do with cyclone Amphan,” said Das.