Kolkata: Seven South Bengal districts, including Kolkata, will receive heavy rainfall on the day of Rath Yatra on Friday. Thunderstorms may also occur in several districts on the weekend.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore forecast widespread rain over Bengal with heavy downpour likely in some districts till July 1 owing to the likely formation of a low pressure area. Light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall is expected in some districts of South Bengal under the influence of the low pressure area likely to be formed along the West Bengal-Odisha coast.
In South Bengal, heavy rainfall will occur in Purulia, Bankura, West Burdwan, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, South 24-Parganas districts. These districts may witness 70-110 mm rainfall, the MeT office said. The North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, North and South Dinajpur are likely to receive heavy rain with very heavy downpour at one or two places in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar in the next 48 hours, the MeT office added. Kolkata on Thursday registered the lowest temperature of the day at 26.8 degree Celsius and relative humidity stood between 72-92 per cent.
Meanwhile, rains induced by a low pressure area may play spoilsport during Rath Yatra on Friday in Puri. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) already said an upper air cyclonic circulation persists over north-west Bay of Bengal and adjoining north and under its influence, a low pressure area is likely to form over the same region within 24 hours. The second such low pressure to form over Bay of Bengal after the arrival of southwest monsoon in the state on May 28, its intensity may not be very strong, said the weather experts.