2-day rainy spell to dampen Saraswati Puja

Kolkata: Rains might play spoilsport over the next two days and dampen the Saraswati Puja spirit of the people, as the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore predicted intermittent rainfall in various South Bengal districts.

The weather office on Tuesday said that there may be scattered rainfall in the

city and other South Bengal districts throughout the day

on Wednesday and Thursday. The sky may remain cloudy from the morning of Wednesday.

"The city and other South Bengal districts may receive light to moderate rainfall on Wednesday while the districts situated along the Indo-Bangladesh border will mostly receive rainfall on Thursday. The temperature may also go up by few notches in the next two days and it may again slide down from Friday. The city may witness colder days during the weekend," a senior weather official said.

People in the city and adjoining districts witnessed misty morning on Tuesday, while the sky mainly remained cloudy throughout the day. Some of the North Bengal districts including Darjeeling, Kalimpong may receive rainfall on late Tuesday evening.

Some of the Western districts including Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore, Birbhum may also receive rainfall on Tuesday night. The weather officials also urged the puja organisers to cover their puja pandals as there is a possibility of the idols being drenched in the rain.

According to weather office prediction, Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are expected to receive a heavy snowfall due to the impact of the Western disturbances. The North-Western states may witness a thick cover of mist early in the morning hours as a result of which normal rain services in various divisions may be affected.

"The temperature may slightly go up in the next 48 hours and it will again take a downturn from Friday. Saraswati puja spirit may be affected due to rains. Apart from the city, districts like North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad may receive scattered rainfall throughout the day in the next 48 hours due to the impact of the Western disturbances," the weather official added. The lowest temperature in the city remained at 13.9 degree Celsius on Tuesday which is one degree below normal. It remained at 12.7 degree Celsius on Monday. Rains have been predicted in various North Indian states as well due to the impact of the Western disturbances.