Monsoon hope in 48 hours

The umbrella hardly offers any protection as a woman and a girl walk through blinding rain and strong wind at Gariahat. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Calcutta, June 16: The monsoon is set to arrive in south Bengal in the next 48 hours, Met officials said this evening.

A cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal has given the monsoon, which was virtually dormant for 11 days, the strength to resume its onward movement.

The onset of the monsoon in south Bengal has already been delayed by eight days. Usually, it arrives on June 8.

“The monsoon has resumed its movement over the Bay. It is likely to arrive in south Bengal within the next couple of days,” said Ajit Tyagi, the director-general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The monsoon’s onset in north Bengal on June 5 had raised hopes in Calcutta and the rest of south Bengal, but an overnight weakening of the flow has resulted in little progress since then.

The cyclonic circulation caused heavy rainfall in Calcutta this evening. Accompanied by strong winds, the rain dragged the mercury down by about three notches. Met officials said the weather was expected to remain cool and comfortable in the morning and afternoon tomorrow.

A man suffered injuries when a tree fell on his Tata Sumo near the Tollygunge Metro station. A billboard in front of South City Mall fell on the road because of the squall, stalling traffic for around half an hour.

“There could be one or two spells of rainfall tomorrow as well,” a Met official said. “Till the arrival of the monsoon, the weather is likely to stay this way, with overcast conditions and spells of light rainfall,” he added.

Gokul Chandra Debnath, the director of the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, said: “The circulation has given the monsoon flow a much-needed impetus and is helping its onward movement over the sea.”