Menacing darkness descended on Calcutta on Tuesday afternoon as a powerful system on the Bay of Bengal moved towards the Bangladesh coast.
The deep depression — the most powerful system on the Bay this season — crossed the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday afternoon before heading towards Gangetic Bengal.
On Monday, the Met office had said heavy rain was in store for Calcutta and several districts of south Bengal under the influence of the system.
In the past, such forecasts have often culminated in a bright and sunny sky in the next morning. Tuesday was no different.
But the complexion changed with the day.
Calcutta received multiple spells of rain between Tuesday afternoon and evening. A fresh sharp spell began around 8pm.
More rain is in store, said Met officials.
“The deep depression over northeast Bay of Bengal off Bangladesh coast moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 27kmph during past six hours and crossed Bangladesh coast close to east of Khepupara between 3.30pm and 4.30pm” said a Met bulletin issued on Tuesday night.
“Continuing to move west-northwestwards, the deep depression lay centred at 5.30pm over coastal Bangladesh, about 220km east-northeast of Digha and 120km east of Calcutta. It is likely to move further west-northwestwards across the Gangetic West Bengal and maintain its intensity of deep depression till early morning of August 2,” the bulletin said.
North and South 24-Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia, East and West Burdwan, Howrah and Hooghly are among the districts that are likely to bear the brunt of the system alongside Calcutta.
“Calcutta is likely to get widespread rain till Wednesday evening,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Calcutta.
Tuesday morning was briefly sunny in Calcutta. But the sky started changing colour in the afternoon. By 3pm, the streetlights were on and so were the headlights of vehicles. Around 3.30pm, most parts of the city were caught in rain.
The city has registered a significant rain deficit so far this monsoon. Met officials attributed the shortfall to the absence of weather systems over the Bay of Bengal. When a couple of low-pressure areas finally took shape on the Bay, the Met office said they were too far from the city to have any significant impact.
In the second week of May, Cyclone Mocha took shape on the Bay of Bengal. But it hit land in Myanmar, more than 500km from Calcutta.
“A deep depression is the stage just before a cyclone. That way, the new system is the strongest to have taken shape on the Bay after Mocha,” said Das.