- Asansol: 434.5 mm in 24 hours
- Bankura: 354.3mm in 24 hours
Kolkata breathed a sigh of relief as the rain-bearing system drifted away on Wednesday. But the system triggered unprecedented rain in some pockets of south Bengal.
The rain in Asansol and Bankura, between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning, is the “highest ever”, according to the Met archives. The previous record in Bankura was in 1922 (192mm on June 22) and the same in Asansol was in 2018 (192mm on July 27).
Durgapur also received around 200mm in the same time.
The record rainfall in West Burdwan and Bankura in the past 24 hours has led to a flood-like situation there. Many areas are inundated with water reaching about six to eight feet. The district administrations sent quick response teams to areas where people were stuck.
Stagnant system
The rain was torrential because the system, still a well-marked low-pressure area, was almost stagnant over the Bengal-Jharkhand border for almost 24 hours from Wednesday morning.
“The system barely moved and the clouds emptied on the areas below,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
It started moving on Thursday morning. “On Thursday afternoon, the system was over north Jharkhand and adjoining Bihar,” said a Met bulletin.
The weather in south Bengal is likely to improve from Friday, said Das.
Twist
The system is tipped to take a recurve towards north Bengal. “North Bengal is likely to get heavy rain on October 2 and 3,” said a Met official.
Surplus
The late surge in rainfall activity has shot up the rain volume. Kolkata’s normal September quota is around 312.7mm of rain. This September, the city got 613mm till September 29.
On Thursday, many areas in Kolkata got a brief spell of rain in the afternoon. The city woke up to a clear and sunny autumn sky.
The weather is likely to be sunny, with occasional thunderstorms, over the next few days, said the Met official.
The total monsoon count in Kolkata is also at a surplus of 33 per cent this year, according to the Met records. Bengal, as a whole, has registered a 15 per cent surplus.
