Kolkatans breathe sigh of relief as rains bring mercury down

Kolkata: Moderate rainfall hit the city and various other South Bengal districts on Tuesday afternoon, bringing down the mercury by a few notches. The rain provided relief to the people of South Bengal who had been under a tremendous heat spell.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore on Tuesday predicted that monsoon may enter South Bengal districts in 3-4 days. The prediction comes as a major relief to the city dwellers who have been reeling under uncomfortably hot and humid conditions.

The Met office also predicted that thundershower along with lightning can be caused in various South Bengal districts late on Tuesday night, due to the formation of a low pressure trough that has currently been spreading over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal.

According to the weather office, various South Bengal districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, West Burdwan, Birbhum, West Midnapore, Jhargram, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and Kolkata received moderate showers, along with a gusty spell of wind in the afternoon. Power services were disrupted partially in the districts, during the thundershowers and lightning.

The rain lashed the city at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday, while the city's sky remained cloudy from the afternoon. The rainy spell lasted for nearly an hour, leading to slow traffic movement in various stretches. Meanwhile, lightning struck Nabanna which caused the CMO's hotline to go down for a while. "A low pressure trough has been stretching over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal, triggering thundershower in various South Bengal districts in the afternoon. The coastal districts may witness more rainfall in the late night hours. Lightning struck various parts of the state during rains but no casualties or injuries have been reported so far," a senior weather official said.