Kolkata is slowly returning to normalcy, a day after heavy overnight rainfall caused widespread flooding, claiming the lives of at least 11 people and disrupting daily life. However, the wet spell is expected to continue for the rest of the week. A new low-pressure area is predicted to form over the Bay of Bengal around September 25 (Thursday) and intensify into a depression by September 26 (Friday), which could bring more rain to the region, the IMD said. While streets, railway tracks, and Metro lines were inundated, city authorities have begun efforts to pump out water from low-lying areas. Several pockets of Salt Lake and parts of North and Central Kolkata remain waterlogged. The IMD has also ruled out heavy rainfall until Thursday, instead forecasting mostly cloudy skies with light to moderate showers, accompanied by thunder and gusty winds in some places. A yellow alert has been issued for a number of districts in South Bengal, including Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Paraganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Nadia, until September 29. Light to moderate rain and thundershowers are very likely in many of these areas till September 30, the weathermen said. According to the IMD, Tuesday's downpour, which measured 251.4 mm in 24 hours, was the city’s third-highest single-day rainfall in the month of September and its sixth-highest ever recorded. The city narrowly avoided a cloudburst, with the highest hourly rainfall reaching 98 mm, just shy of the 100 mm threshold. A warning for the fishermen has been issued along the West Bengal-Odisha coast and in North Bay of Bengal areas for the next five days, from September 24 to 28. Squally weather with wind speeds exceeding 45 kmph is expected, making sea conditions rough, the IMD said, adding, “Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea during this period.” Additionally, a swell surge alert warns of waves with heights of 1 to 1.1 metre, urging boats to exercise extreme caution. In North Bengal, a yellow alert for thunderstorms with gusty winds (30-40 kmph) and lightning has been issued for Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, and Malda for the next two days.
