Heavy showers may drench city today

KOLKATA: The low pressure brewing over west-central Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression and brought steady showers in Kolkata on Wednesday. The rain caught everyone unawares as it drenched the city a day in advance. According to the prediction, Kolkata was supposed to remain cloudy on Wednesday and receive light to moderate showers on Thursday.
Kolkata received 19mm rain till 5.30pm on Wednesday.The rest of south Bengal, too, received a steady drizzle.
On Wednesday morning, the depression stood 460km south-west of Gopalpur and 210km south-east of Machhlipatnam, according to G K Das, director, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). According to the IMD, the depression is likely to move in a northward direction initially and maintain its intensity over the next 24 hours. It is then predicted to move north-northeastwards and weaken gradually.
“It intensified earlier than we had expected and triggered showers a day in advance. The rain could turn heavier on Thursday and stop by Friday afternoon,” said Das. It will be raining in the rest of south Bengal as well, with the coastal areas receiving heavier showers, he added.
It rained across south Bengal with coastal areas in West Midnapore and South 24 Parganas receiving heavy showers. It will continue to rain on Thursday with a wind speed of up to 50 km/hr, according to the IMD. A warning has been issued for fishermen since the sea condition is expected to be ‘rough to very rough along and off the West Bengal coast during the next 48 hours’.
The steady drizzle that started early on Wednesday morning and continued through the day raised the spectre of a spurt in dengue cases. Experts pointed out that the light showers could lead to a proliferation of fresh water collections — an ideal breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes.
As the system moves northward from Odisha coast, showers will get heavier in Kolkata, said the RMC. “The rain is set to get heavier in the city from late on Wednesday night. We are still expecting the showers to remain moderate, but heavier than the steady drizzle that drenched Kolkata on Wednesday. The weather should start improving by Friday morning, with the drizzle turning sporadic and gradually disappearing by late afternoon,” said Das.