A fresh low-pressure belt, brewing over the Bay of Bengal, is tipped to trigger widespread rain in the city on Wednesday.

The system, which led to steady showers and a consistent cloud cover on Tuesday, is the third over the Bay of Bengal this month.

Monsoon is the season of rain-bearing systems over the Bay. But July, usually the rainiest month of the season, had hardly seen any such system. August has already had a couple and another is in the making, said Met officials.

“A low-pressure area is likely to form over the north Bay of Bengal by Wednesday. It is very likely to gain strength over the next 24 hours and move westwards gradually. Under its influence, widespread rain is very likely to occur in the districts of south Bengal from August 18 to 20,” said a Met official.

“One or two areas in south Bengal could get heavy rain and the coastal areas are likely to see gusts at 45kmph and above.”

As the system is tipped to move westwards, districts like West Midnapore, Bankura, Jhargram and Purulia are likely to see more rain on Thursday.

A low-pressure area that had formed over the north Bay of Bengal last Thursday led to a wet Independence Day weekend. “The rain was not heavy but typical monsoon rain. It was widespread and persistent rain,” said the Met official.

The system has lost strength and was positioned over Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas on Tuesday morning. The back-to-back systems ensured that the monsoon trough remained over south Bengal for much of August.

“The trough now passes through Digha to the northeast Bay of Bengal,” said a Met report.

Trade licence

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation will grant a trade licence to applicants within 24 hours if all documents are in order, a CMC official said on Tuesday. Officials will conduct inspections later and take action if there are any irregularities.