Despite forecast of pre-monsoon rain, humidity casts a spell over city

Kolkata: Despite the weather office prediction that Kolkata and other South Bengal districts will witness thundershower with the advent of pre-monsoon rains Tuesday onwards, the city is yet to receive a heavy spell with the humidity and discomfort continuing to haunt the people in South Bengal.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore on Tuesday said that light to moderate rainfall may occur in Kolkata and other South Bengal districts in the next couple of days with a strong breeze measuring 30-40 kmph sweeping through the region. The MeT office said that thunderstorm is likely to happen in the next couple of days in the districts like North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad. Kolkata may also receive rainfall. The districts in the western parts of Bengal were also registering high temperatures in the past couple of days. Purulia registered the highest temperature at 40 degree Celsius on Tuesday.

Red alert of very heavy rainfall has already been issued for some of the North Bengal districts, including Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar while orange alert of heavy rainfall has been issued for Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

The MeT office on Monday predicted that Kolkata may receive pre-monsoon rains on Tuesday while thunderstorm activities may happen in several South Bengal districts on Wednesday and Thursday. Thunderstorm activities were not, however, traced in Kolkata on Tuesday. The weather office had already predicted that the monsoon is likely to arrive in South Bengal after June 20.

A change in the wind pattern that is expected to propel the monsoon into South Bengal was slower than expected. Southerly winds are important for the arrival of the monsoon. The districts in the western parts of Bengal will continue to undergo hot and humid conditions. This year, the monsoon arrived in North Bengal on May 31, ahead of its usual onset date of June 5. For South Bengal, the usual arrival date is June 10.