Kolkata: Rains and hailstorm accompanied by strong winds lashed various parts of the city on Sunday evening, bringing the mercury down by a few notches.
The hailstorm hit several parts of the Northern fringes of Kolkata, some parts of Rajarhat and New Town and its adjacent areas in the evening. In some parts, excited people took to social media to share pictures of roads covered with hail. A tree fell on a taxi at Shyambazar, halting traffic for a while.
Some persons have reportedly been struck by lightning in different parts of the state.
The city also received moderate rainfall that lasted for nearly an hour. Winds measuring around 50-55 km per hour swept through various South Bengal districts. The traffic movement in some parts of the city slowed down following the rain.
Districts like Purulia, Bankura, West Burdwan, Jhargram and West Midnapore witnessed heavy thundershower during the evening hours. The temperature may hover around 33 degree Celsius during day time in the next 24 hours but the mercury is expected to slide down during the evening.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, two low pressure troughs have formed over Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra each. The low pressure troughs are expected to gain strength and as a result, various South Bengal and some North Bengal districts may receive rainfall in the next 24 hours.
In the past 24 hours, the highest temperature of the city was recorded at 32.5 degree Celsius, while the lowest temperature touched 23.5 degree. The Met department had already predicted rainfall in various parts of South Bengal on Sunday and Monday. The sky may remain cloudy in some parts in the next 24 hours.
A couple of days ago, various South Bengal districts had witnessed light to moderate rains due to the impact of both Western disturbances and a wind which was blowing towards the West.
It may be mentioned here that the people in the city and also in some South Bengal districts started feeling comparatively hot in the past two weeks, as the mercury started to rise. People were also experiencing discomfort as the humidity level was also on the higher side during daytime.