A rainy spell is headed Kolkata's way, after four dry months.
Thunderstorm activities are expected across Bengal from March 16 to 20, according to the Met forecast.
Out of five, Kolkata is likely to get wet on a couple of days, said a Met official.
“A strong weather system is likely to take shape over Jharkhand. As a result, thunderstorm activities are expected across the state from March 16 to 20. Kolkata is likely to get affected on at least a couple of days during that period,” said Ganesh Kumar Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
If the forecast comes good, it will be the first wet spell in Kolkata since late October last year.
“November, December, January and February are dry months for Kolkata. But even then, around 80mm of rain is usual in these four months combined. But from November 2022 till date, there has been zero rain in Kolkata,” said Das.
By usual, Das meant an average drawn up on the basis of the rainfall in Kolkata from November to February during the past three decades.
Chandramouli Bhattacharya, an infectious diseases specialist at the Peerless Hospital, said it was unlikely that the rain would have any impact on the spate of viral infections that have been ongoing for several weeks. “I do not think that rain will have any impact on the rate of viral infections,” he added.
The city has been witnessing a cloudy sky for the past couple of days. There has been no rain but the scorching heat, tormenting Kolkatans since late February, has been missing.
A trough of low pressure, which is triggering thunderstorms in the northern and western districts of Bengal, is behind the cloudy conditions in Kolkata, said a Met official.
Friday and Saturday nights have been reasonably windy in Kolkata. “The winds are coming from thunderstorm shells over East and West Burdwan,” said the official.
But the trough is likely to dissipate by Sunday. “Once the cloud cover goes, the sun will be harsher.”
The heat and humidity will persist till the new system takes shape over Jharkhand.