A bright and sunny sky turned dark in a flash in the forenoon on Tuesday before the city was drenched in another sharp spell of rain as Cyclone Asani came closer to the east coast.
The system, which remained a severe cyclonic storm for much of Tuesday, was expected to weaken into a cyclone by Wednesday morning and into a depression by the night.
The cyclone was expected to come near the Odisha coast early on Wednesday, said Met officials. On Tuesday night it was near the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Like the day before, Tuesday’s showers in Kolkata were brought by clouds from the outer band of the storm. As the cyclone neared land, so did the clouds. Similar spells of rain are likely in Kolkata on Wednesday and Thursday as well, said Met officials.
Apart from rain and thunderstorms, the system is unlikely to have any other impact in south Bengal, according to the Met office.
“The system is likely to fizzle out before it comes near the Bengal coast,” said Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, deputy director-general, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
On Tuesday, the sun was shining brightly in the morning. The first signs of gray clouds appeared after 11.45am. By 12.15pm, the Victoria Memorial stood in stark contrast with the dark skyline. The rain started around the same time.
The intensity went down gradually and, in some areas, continued into the afternoon as a drizzle. By 2pm, the sun had again come out in many pockets. Around 4pm, the Victoria skyline was bright and sunny again.
The Met office recorded around 39mm of rain in Alipore. According to data from the pumping stations of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Southern Avenue got around 30mm, Jadavpur got around 50mm and Mominpore got 34mm.
Around 12.45pm, the rain had blurred visibility on the Parama flyover.
Some pockets in Ballygunge and Kasba had ankle-deep water immediately after the showers. Students returning from school were seen wading through the water.
Small and medium-sized breakaway clouds from the system triggered the rain, said Met officials. In general, south Kolkata got more rain than the north.
“The sky looked brighter in the morning because the pollutants in the atmosphere were washed away by the rain on Monday. The clouds over the Bay arrived together and the rain started,” said G.K. Das, director, IMD, Kolkata.
The clouds went to the districts via Kolkata, causing rain along the way.
“The core of the storm, which has a diameter of around 100km, is likely to be within touching distance of the coast. The coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh is expected to bear the brunt of the storm. But the system will not make landfall,” said Das.
He said by the time it would reach near the Odisha coast, Cyclone Asani was likely to lose its sting further.
“It is likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by May 11 morning and into a depression by May 12 morning,” said a Met bulletin on Tuesday afternoon.
The showers on Monday and Tuesday were without thunderstorms. But over the next 48 hours, thunderstorms are likely in Kolkata, he said.
After the system dissipates, southwesterly winds from the Bay are likely to trigger heavy rain in north Bengal, said Das.
