North Bengal districts to experience heavy to very heavy downpour till Friday: MeT

The Sub-Himalayan districts in North Bengal are likely to experience heavy to very heavy downpour till Friday morning and heavy rain thereafter till July 28, the Met department said in its weather outlook on Thursday.

With the south-west monsoon being active in West Bengal, the southern districts are also likely to experience light to moderate rainfall for the next couple of days, the Met department said.

The Sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Coochbehar are likely to receive heavy to heavy rain till Friday morning and heavy rain till July 28 morning, it said.

Several rivers in North Bengal, including Teesta, Kaljani, and Mansai are in spate owing to heavy rains in the catchment areas over the past several days, causing people in low-lying areas to take shelter at safer places.

In South Bengal, the weatherman has forecast heavy rain in the coastal districts of North and South 24 Parganas and heavy to very heavy rain in East Midnapore till Saturday morning.

The other districts in South Bengal are likely to experience light to moderate rain. Thunderstorms with lightning may occur at one or two places, the Met department said in its forecast for the next two days.

Parts of South Bengal received moderate to heavy rainfall in 24 hours till 8 am on Thursday, including Kolkata, even as the North Bengal districts which have been receiving considerable amounts of rain for the past few days, got a temporary respite with light rain in some places.

Barrackpore recorded the highest downpour at 64.8 mm, followed by Dumdum (56.2 mm), Kolkata (55.8 mm), Burdwan (55.4 mm) and Salt Lake (44.7 mm), the Met department said.