Kolkata recorded the highest one-day rainfall for September in 13 years on Monday, according to Met data.
The city recorded 142mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30am, and over 100mm during the six-hour span from 1am to 7am. Kolkata had recorded 174.4mm of rainfall on September 25, 2007.
This time, Salt Lake received 142.8mm of rain, the most in West Bengal, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.
Just for perspective, Mumbai recorded 944m of rain on that disastrous July 26, 2005.
On Monday, Kolkata Municipal Corporation drainage pumping stations recorded 136mm rain at Dhapa, 115mm at Kalighat and 109mm at Ballygunge overnight, an official said on Monday.
The incessant overnight rain sparked widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls and, in some, a craving for hot khichudi on a dark, rainy day.
Several areas were submerged and transport services crippled.
Submerged thoroughfares and low-lying areas made commuters struggle to find public transport amid the torrential rain and traffic snarls on the first working day of the week.
“There was no auto and there is waterlogging all along the stretch from Rajabazar to Salt Lake,” said a woman who travels the route for work.
At Sector 5 in Salt Lake. Office-goers faced major water woes on Monday morning Amit Datta/My Kolkata
The airport tweeted, warning flyers of heavy traffic congestion and urging them to budget more time for their travel to the airport.
The travelling time from Salt Lake to Dum Dum by car went up to about 75 minutes (from the usual 25) because of a flank of VIP Road being shut because of waterlogging.
“Due to movement of cyclonic circulation from north-west Bay of Bengal to Gangetic West Bengal and strong moisture incursion, heavy rainfall is occurring over Kolkata and adjoining North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Medinipur,” said G.K. Das, regional Met director.
The monsoon trough is also active over south Bengal, an IMD official said.
Other places that recorded heavy precipitation during the 24-hour period were Canning (113.4mm) and Diamond Harbour (83.6mm) inSouth 24 Parganas, and Dum Dum (95mm) in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, Met Department data showed.
According to the five-day district-level weather forecast for Gangetic West Bengal issued on Monday by the Alipore Met office, it will be a wet week with light to moderate rain and thunder “very likely” every day.
At Sector 5 in Salt Lake. Salt Lake received the highest amount of overnight rain Amit Datta/ My Kolkata
“A cyclonic circulation lies over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining places,” Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, deputy director general, IMD Kolkata, told reporters on Monday.
“The monsoon trough is also positioned over Kolkata. As a result of the two weather systems, Kolkata and other southern districts will experience light to moderate spells of showers with thunderstorms and lightning on September 20 and 21.”
The Met office has also warned fishermen in the coastal areas against venturing out.
According to the five-day district-level weather forecast for Gangetic West Bengal issued on Monday by the Alipore Met office, it will be a wet week with light to moderate rain and thunder “very likely” every day.
However, the intensity of rainfall will reduce, it said with its colour code going from Orange (be prepared) to Green over the week.