Heavy rains in forecast for Kolkata, its nearby districts

Gangetic West Bengal, suffering deficient rainfall this monsoon, is likely to receive heavy downpours till Wednesday owing to a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, officials said.

The system is likely to move across Gangetic West Bengal — the plains in the southern part of the state along the Ganges, its distributaries and tributaries — during the next 24 hours, they said.

The system is likely to cause heavy to very rainfall with extremely heavy downpours at one or two places in the region till Wednesday, the weather office said.

Gangetic West Bengal is facing 36 per cent rainfall deficiency this monsoon, Regional Met Director GK Das said.

”Heavy rainfall owing to the deep depression is likely to bring down the deficit by some extent in the southern districts of the state,” Das told PTI. Except for the coastal East Midnapore district, which received near normal rainfall, the whole of Gangetic West Bengal has suffered deficit precipitation, affecting agricultural activities.

Memari in Purba Bardhaman and Jamalpur in Paschim Bardhaman districts received 100 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Tuesday, while Bankura got 90 mm rain during the same period, the Met data said.

Heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy showers is likely at one or two places over South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts, the weather office said.

Heavy to very heavy rain is also very likely over Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Bankura and Purulia districts, it said.

Heavy rain is very likely over Murshidabad, Nadia and Birbhum districts, it added.

The weather office warned that heavy to very heavy rain coupled with gusty wind reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kmph is likely to result in waterlogging in low-lying areas of Kolkata.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till Wednesday due to the weather system.