Nabami outings in Kolkata were dampened by overcast skies and intermittent showers across several neighbourhoods on Wednesday.
Rain played spoilsport on Nabami afternoon as Kumari Puja rituals were held across several Kolkata pandals, with pandal hoppers scurrying for shelter under makeshift sheds, shopfronts and tea stalls. The drizzle turned steady in parts of the city, briefly halting the festive buzz. According to the Met office, showers are expected to intensify from Thursday night, with the forecast warning of heavy rain in Kolkata and adjoining districts as the Bay system gathers strength.
In a notification on October 1 afternoon, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that ‘a well-marked low-pressure area over the west-central Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into a depression within the next 12 hours and further into a deep depression’. The system is likely to move north-northwestwards and cross the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of October 3.
The Met office has also reported an upper air cyclonic circulation over south Bangladesh and its neighbourhood. According to the forecast, Kolkata and Howrah are likely to receive heavy showers on Wednesday (Nabami), with very heavy rain predicted in East and West Midnapore and South 24 Parganas. The intensity is set to peak on Thursday, Oct 2 (Dashami), when heavy to very heavy rain could lash Purulia, Bankura and Burdwan districts.
The IMD has warned of gusty winds reaching 50 kmph and possible waterlogging in low-lying areas. With pandals across the city drawing record crowds, organisers are concerned about damage to decorations and footfall dipping in the rain-hit hours.