Spells of rain accompanied by gusts of wind and lightning hit the city and neighbouring areas from Wednesday afternoon, keeping the temperature under check and the weather pleasant.

The wet spell, that started a couple of days ago, has been attributed by the Met office to a high-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and a cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and adjoining areas.

On Wednesday, the sky turned dark in the afternoon. But the rain that followed was scattered. Areas like Salt Lake and Lake Town got a short but sharp spell of rain, along with frequent bouts of lightning. A little after 7pm, another spell of thunderstorm came calling, this time in the southern pockets.

The Met office recorded only traces of rain at Alipore. Thunderstorms are likely in the next two days, said a Met official.