Spells of showers since morning on Thursday kept Kolkata cool, and the city should brace for more rain in the coming days. The Met office has predicted thunderstorm activities in the city and many other parts of south Bengal over the next few days, including Saturday when newly appointed BJP MLAs are expected to take oath. However, unlike Thursday, the possibility of rain is higher post noon.
Thursday's Rainfall and Temperature
On Thursday, the Alipore Met office recorded 48 mm of rain until late evening, with another thundershower spell hitting the city on Thursday night as well. The thundershowers and partly cloudy sky forced the mercury to dip further from 33.7°C on Wednesday to 30.8°C. Thursday was the third consecutive day of thundershowers, including an intense spell on Wednesday night accompanied by gusty winds that left a few low-lying pockets in the city flooded for hours.
Forecast for the Next Few Days
According to HR Biswas, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata, factors including an upper air cyclonic circulation over east Bihar and abundant moisture in the lower level continue to make conditions favorable for more thunderstorm activities in Kolkata and some other south Bengal districts for the next four to five days. While the intensity would vary, the possibility of one or more spells of rain every day is very high for now. Regarding Saturday's forecast, Biswas added: "So far our rain forecast for Kolkata on Saturday is yellow, and we will update it as and when we find factors that could influence the intensity of the thundershower. The chance for rain on that day in the morning is only about 30%, with possibility increasing to around 70% towards the afternoon onwards."
North-South Divide in Rainfall
There was a distinct north-south divide in the rainfall pattern. While northern neighborhoods and areas prone to waterlogging such as Dum Dum, Thanthania, Chittaranjan Avenue, College Street, and Amherst Street received less rain, southern parts like Jodhpur Park, Kalighat, Chetla, Tollygunge, Ballygunge, Golf Green, and Behala witnessed spells of heavy rain between 11 am and 3 pm. Rainfall recorded by KMC drainage pumping stations in Jodhpur Park, Ballygunge, Kudghat, Mominpur, and Chetla ranged between 32 mm and 58 mm, according to a senior KMC drainage department official.
The frequent rain spells have prevented the mercury from surging past the normal mark on any of the seven days.
