Kolkata Rain Forecast: IMD Predicts Thunderstorms, Light To Moderate Showers For Next 24 Hours

The southwest monsoon has officially arrived over several regions, including parts of the south Bay of Bengal, the south Andaman Sea, the Nicobar Islands, and some areas of the north Andaman Sea, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

Over the past 24 hours, the Nicobar Islands experienced widespread moderate rainfall with heavy showers at isolated locations, following a two-day stretch of consistent rainfall and scattered heavy showers across the region.

In Kolkata, the local forecast indicates a partly cloudy sky with a chance of thunderstorms and light to moderate rain by evening. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 36°C and 26°C, respectively. On Monday, the city recorded a high of 38.6°C-2.8 degrees above normal — and a low of 23.5°C, which is 3.5 degrees below normal.

Relative humidity ranged from 98% to 35%, and 8.2 mm of rainfall was recorded between 11:30 pm on May 12 and 11:30 am on May 13.

Southwest Monsoon To Progress Into More Areas

According to the IMD, westerly winds over the south Bay of Bengal and adjoining seas have strengthened significantly in the last two days, reaching speeds above 20 knots at 1.5 km altitude and extending up to 4.5 km in some areas.

Favourable conditions persist for the southwest monsoon to progress into more areas — including the south Arabian Sea, Maldives-Comorin region, remaining Andaman Sea, and central Bay of Bengal — within the next three to four days.

On Monday, the IMD had forecast heatwave conditions in several districts in the southern part of West Bengal, and heavy rain in the sub-Himalayan region, for the next few days. It said the day temperature would not see any major change until after four to five days, when it will gradually fall by 2-3 degrees.  

One or two places in West Bardhaman, Bankura, Jhargram, West Medinipur and Birbhum districts are likely to witness heatwave conditions till May 15. Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar may see heavy rain till May due to moisture availability and trough from central Bihar to south Jharkhand.

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