Kolkata, 17 September (H.S): The Alipore Meteorological Department on Thursday issued a warning of thunderstorms and rain in three districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata. In a special afternoon bulletin, a red alert was issued for Howrah, while orange alerts were issued for Kolkata and South 24 Parganas. Heavy rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds is likely in these districts.

Kolkata and its adjoining areas experienced bright sunshine from the morning. However, the sky turned dark as the day progressed. A brief spell of rain left several roads in the city waterlogged. Water accumulated in Salt Lake Sector V, including in front of the Electronics Complex Police Station, disrupting traffic movement.

The weather office said orange alerts were also in force on Thursday in North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Murshidabad and Nadia. These districts may receive rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. Scattered rain will continue in other districts of South Bengal.

Kolkata and the rest of South Bengal are likely to receive scattered rain every day until Sunday, with yellow alerts in place.

North Bengal may also experience isolated heavy rain. Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Alipurduar may receive heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. The remaining districts have also been warned of scattered rain, lightning and gusty winds over the next two days. Rain is expected to decrease in North Bengal from Saturday.

Meanwhile, preparations for the withdrawal of the monsoon have begun in western India. The Alipore office said the southwest monsoon may withdraw from parts of western Rajasthan by September 19. The monsoon trough currently extends through Saurashtra and a low-pressure area near the northeast Arabian Sea. It then passes through Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand before entering West Bengal and extending over the Bay of Bengal via Digha.

A cyclonic circulation over northern Thailand may move into the north Andaman Sea by Friday evening. Under its influence, a low-pressure area may form there. It is likely to move gradually north-northwestwards and reach the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast within three to four days.

In addition, a trough extends from North Bengal to northern Odisha. Under its influence, conditions remain favourable for thunderstorms and rain in the state.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey