Bengal Weather: Kolkata and several adjoining areas witnessed heavy rainfall on Sunday, bringing relief from the prevailing humid conditions but also leading to severe waterlogging and traffic disruptions across the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red, orange and yellow alerts for multiple districts of West Bengal as monsoon activity intensifies across the state.
The weather office has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by rain in several districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata, over the next few hours. In North Bengal, the IMD has sounded a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts.
An orange alert has been issued for Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, where heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are likely. Yellow alerts remain in place for the remaining districts.
Kolkata is expected to receive moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph. Similar weather conditions are likely to affect Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
The downpour caused widespread inconvenience, with waterlogging reported from several low-lying areas and traffic movement slowing considerably. NEET aspirants appearing for the re-test examination faced difficulties reaching their centres due to the adverse weather and disrupted transport services.
After a relatively dry Saturday despite the arrival of the monsoon, rainfall activity picked up sharply across South Bengal on Sunday. Meteorologists attributed the increase in rainfall to the advancement of the southwest monsoon and a strong inflow of moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
"The monsoon has advanced over the state and atmospheric conditions remain favourable for widespread rainfall. A significant moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal is supporting rain-bearing systems over both North and South Bengal," a weather official said.
The IMD has further issued an orange alert for Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts, where heavy rainfall along with gusty winds of up to 50 kmph is expected.
Rainfall activity is likely to continue across West Bengal over the coming days, with the IMD issuing a statewide rain alert until June 25 as monsoon conditions strengthen across the region.