Kolkata Gripped by Season's First Powerful Nor'wester Squall
The nor'wester season has officially commenced in Kolkata, with the city experiencing its first significant brush with a severe squall on Monday night. Thunder, intense lightning, and heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds swept across the metropolitan area, occurring just minutes after the Meteorological office issued a critical red alert for Kolkata, neighboring Howrah, and South 24 Parganas districts.
Record Wind Speeds and Dramatic Temperature Plunge
The Alipore weather office documented a powerful thundersquall with wind speeds reaching an impressive 72 kilometers per hour at 9:16 PM. This combination of gusty winds and the subsequent rain spell dragged the mercury down by nearly six degrees Celsius almost instantly. On Monday, Kolkata had recorded a maximum temperature of 32.9° Celsius. However, within minutes of the thunderstorm's onset, the temperature plummeted sharply to approximately 26° Celsius.
The Monday night weather event, which began around 9 PM, impacted all parts of the city uniformly. Sources indicated that some specific pockets within Kolkata encountered temporary waterlogging during the rain spell, which persisted for over an hour. Although Kolkata had a preliminary taste of nor'wester conditions on Sunday night itself, the city received only light rainfall during that period. Despite strong and sustained winds sweeping across the city on Sunday, Alipore had recorded a mere 0.1 millimeters of rain.
Meteorological Analysis and Forecast
Meteorological officials explained that while chances of thundershowers will diminish starting Tuesday, there remains a possibility of renewed rain activities from Friday onward. "Though chances of thundershowers in the city will be reduced from Tuesday, we can expect renewed rain possibility from Friday," stated meteorologist H R Biswas, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Kolkata.
The Met officials attributed the powerful thundercloud formation to strong moisture incursion and favorable wind patterns at the lower atmospheric levels. Currently, Kolkata is experiencing a south westerly or southerly wind system at the lower level. Additionally, a western disturbance passing through the northern region around Nepal also contributed as a triggering factor for the rain in parts of southern districts and North Bengal.
Weather Patterns and Seasonal Context
Meteorologists noted that while nor'wester spells and squalls are more commonly observed during April and May, preceding the onset of pre-monsoon showers, such events can occur in March due to specific favorable weather conditions. "By Tuesday, the wind pattern is likely to change to the westerly system when the wind speed will also reduce along with the chance of rain. The mercury could be rising slightly until the next rain spell," Biswas added.
Met officials further clarified that as the wind reduces the heating effect, the weather will remain bearable despite the anticipated slight temperature rise. In addition to Kolkata, the districts of Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and several other southern districts also received significant thundershowers during this weather event.
