Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata’s Alipore on Sunday issued an orange alert for rain in six south Bengal districts from Tuesday to Friday, while a red alert has been sounded for north Bengal till Monday.

Heavy rain has been predicted in the south Bengal districts and Kolkata on Tuesday and Wednesday. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms is likely in Kolkata later in the day on Sunday and Monday.

The weather department has said that heavy rain may cause landslides in hill areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, while low-lying areas may be flooded.

The MET office has also issued a warning that the water level of hill rivers may rise above the danger level due to heavy rains.

An official of RMC said, “There is a monsoon axis from Rajasthan to Bihar. It extends over Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Due to the influence of this system, a large amount of water vapour is entering the state from the Bay of Bengal. Due to this, heavy rain is forecast in the south and very heavy rain in the north.”

According to the MET office, an orange alert for rain with thunderstorms is in place for the districts of Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore, West Burdwan, Birbhum, and Murshidabad. There is a possibility of storms at speeds of 40 to 50 km per hour in these districts.

There is a possibility of rain with thunderstorms in the remaining districts as well. The sky in Kolkata will remain partly cloudy for the next few days. There is also a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday, it said.

Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar districts may receive up to 200 mm of rain. An orange alert for rain is in place for North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda districts.

–IANS

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