Heavy rain to hit coastal districts in next 72 hours

Kolkata: The coastal districts will receive heavy rainfall in the next 72 hours due to a low-pressure trough formed over the Bay of Bengal, predicted the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore.

The fishermen in the coastal districts have been alerted and told not to venture into the sea as strong winds will be sweeping through the region. Those who had already sailed away earlier have been asked to return to the shore by Monday.

Various South Bengal districts including the city witnessed scattered rainfall on Saturday afternoon which brought a respite for the people from the sweltering heat and rising humidity level. For the past few days, the discomfort level was on the rise with the humidity shooting up. The city dwellers experienced the sultry weather on Saturday morning but as the day progressed, the rainfall pulled down the mercury by a few notches.

According to the weather office prediction, all the South Bengal districts will receive light to moderate rainfall for three days from Sunday due to the low-pressure trough which will eventually gain some more strength. South Bengal districts will also witness gusty winds accompanied with rain.

"As the low-pressure trough is likely to be strengthened from Sunday onwards, all the coastal districts will receive heavy rainfall in the next 72 hours.

"Various South Bengal districts, including Kolkata will also receive moderate rainfall. The temperature in the South Bengal districts hover around 32-34 degree Celsius," a weather official said.

North Bengal districts are expected to receive light to moderate rainfall in the next three days. The afternoon rains left some parts of the city waterlogged before the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) workers rushed to the spot and discharged the accumulated water on a war footing. Some Wards in the Southern fringes of the city including Wards 118/119 in Behala went under water causing inconvenience to the locals.

The intervention of the drainage department employees brought the situation under control.

The traffic movement in some parts of the city remained slow following the rain.