Kolkata, July 1 (IANS) Districts in south Bengal are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next few days due to a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, the Met Office said on Wednesday.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata’s Alipore area, the low pressure will soon transform into a depression, which will bring heavy rain in South Bengal, including Kolkata, from Saturday onwards. Till then, scattered rain will continue in Kolkata and adjoining districts.

Till Tuesday, districts in north Bengal have been battered by heavy rain, resulting in landslides and flood-like situations in some areas. Normal life has been thrown out of gear as incessant rain continued for several days.

With the weather slightly improving in the north, south Bengal is now bracing for heavy rain, said an official of RMC on Wednesday.

“A cyclonic circulation is present over the north Bay of Bengal and adjacent south Bangladesh. Due to this, a low-pressure area is likely to form in the north-west Bay of Bengal around July 3. The southwest monsoon axis currently extends from Punjab to the north Bay of Bengal. In addition, favourable conditions for rain, including thunderstorms, have been created due to the entry of a lot of water vapour from the Bay of Bengal. As a result, rain will continue across various districts of the state for the next few days. Heavy to very heavy rain will occur in south Bengal from Saturday onwards,” said the Met Department official.

There is a possibility of heavy rain in three of the five districts of north Bengal, namely Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, on Wednesday. All other districts may experience rain with gusty winds of 30 to 40 km per hour and thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rain will continue sporadically in the districts of South Bengal. The intensity of rain will increase further from Saturday. On Sunday, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in Kolkata and districts of South 24 Parganas, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Bankura and Purulia.

The Met office has predicted very heavy rainfall in West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura districts on Monday.

On Tuesday, the maximum temperature in Kolkata and its surrounding areas was 31.2 degrees Celsius, which is 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than normal. The minimum temperature was 25.9 degrees Celsius, which is 1 degree Celsius lower than normal.

–IANS

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