Monsoon enters south Bengal, but nearly a week late this year

The Met department has issued a red alert for Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts in north Bengal for the next 48 hours.

West Bengal Monsoon, monsoon in south Bengal, Met department monsoon prediction, IMD red alert, indian express, indian express news

Kolkata: Pedestrians holding umbrellas walk on a street on a rainy day (PTI)

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With the monsoon finally making entry into the southern part of West Bengal on Monday, heavy rains and strong winds lashed Kolkata — which had been reeling under heatwave conditions for the past few weeks.

“The monsoon usually enters Kolkata by June 11 every year. However, this time, the monsoon was delayed by eight days. Monsoon entered north Bengal five days late, so naturally it was also late in advancing into south Bengal this time,” said a senior weather department official.

The mercury level dipped a little in the state capital. The maximum temperature was recorded at 32.9 degrees celsius, one degree less than the average maximum temperature and the minimum 29.9 degree in Kolkata, the weatherman said.

In its Sunday bulletin, the Alipore Meteorological Office had also predicted “favourable conditions for the entry of monsoon in south Bengal between Tuesday and Thursday”. Apart from Kolkata, districts like Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Nadia and Purba Burdwan will experience thundershowers, the bulletin added.

The Met office said that temperature levels may drop by at least 4 degrees Celsius over the next four to five to five days. “However, a few districts like Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Birbhum and Paschim Burdwan are still reeling under heatwave conditions. They are likely to receive rain from Tuesday,” said the Met office. The weather department has issued a heavy rain warning from south to north Bengal from Monday till Friday. Meteorologists estimate that temperature levels may drop by three to five degrees Celsius.