The sky over Kolkata turned dark on Friday afternoon as heavy clouds rolled in, followed by intense showers and thunder. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange warning for the city and adjoining districts, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds.
According to the latest IMD bulletin, intense rainfall and wind speeds reaching 30-40 kmph are likely over parts of South 24 Parganas and Kolkata till late afternoon. The department has cautioned that the weather may lead to waterlogging in low-lying areas and urged people to take necessary precautions.
For the next seven days, the city and surrounding districts are expected to experience intermittent spells of rain and thundershowers before the weather turns dry from mid-next week. On Friday and Saturday, light to moderate rain or thundershower is likely to occur at a few places in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and both North and South 24 Parganas. The intensity is expected to reduce from Sunday, with only isolated rainfall predicted.
From October 14 onward, dry weather is most likely to prevail across south Bengal, marking a gradual withdrawal of monsoon-like conditions.
Officials from the regional weather office have stated that the current spell of rainfall is being caused by moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, combined with local convection.