Kolkata: The mercury has dropped in the city by 5-6 degrees on Tuesday after nor’westers lashed several districts in South Bengal on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, as many as 12 people died after a thunderstorm hit South Bengal on Monday evening. Around 9 died in separate incidents of lightning in South Bengal while two died following wall collapse and one died after a tree fell on the victim.
The city dwellers have breathed a sigh of relief as the temperature plummets following thunderstorms. The city had remained under heat spell for over two weeks. The maximum temperature on Tuesday was recorded at 34 degree Celsius. The city witnessed temperatures above 40 degrees in the past few days. Temperature may further drop in the city and other South Bengal districts in the next 24 hours as well.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore on Tuesday predicted rains or thundershowers and strong gusty winds in the several South Bengal districts in the next 24 hours. Kolkata may witness rains and thunderstorms in the next 24 hours. After that over the course of the week, the rainfall may start tickling to smaller isolated spells, a weather official said.
Thunderstorms are likely to continue in 11 South Bengal districts in the next 24 hours. Heavy rainfall alert has been issued for three South Bengal districts — South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore. A gusty wind will be blowing through the coastal regions of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore. Thundershowers may continue in the coastal regions till Friday. The MeT office also predicted high tidal waves in Digha in East Midnapore and Bakkhali in South 24-Parganas.
“Heavy rainfall will continue in the districts like East Midnapore, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas. There is a possibility of rainfall and thundershowers in some of the north Bengal districts as well,” a weather official said.
A low-pressure axis was situated in Jharkhand that will bring more rainfall to the state. A gusty wind measuring 30-40 kmph will be sweeping through Birbhum, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas in the next 48 hours.
Thunderstorms and lightning claimed 5 lives in East Burdwan, 2 each in West Midnapore and Purulia, while 2 more people died due to wall collapses in Nadia. One died after a tree fell on him in South 24-Parganas.