Written by Anisha Ghosh Heavy rain and thunderstorms lashed parts of Kolkata and adjoining districts on Friday afternoon, triggering traffic snarls and waterlogging in several low lying areas. The rains are expected to continue during the weekend. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the city and nearby districts, including North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Purba Medinipur, cautioning residents of possible lightning and thunderstorms, gusty winds (30-40 kmph), and rainfall activity in the next few hours, starting 2:25 pm of October 10. A yellow alert has been issued for Friday in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram and Nadia, with warning of light to moderate rain along with thunderstorms and lightning at one or two places. The IMD has also placed North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts of South Bengal under yellow alert on October 11 (Saturday), warning of thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and lightning at isolated places. Citizens have been advised to avoid water bodies and refrain from taking shelter under trees or near electric poles during lightning activities. Meanwhile, the situation in North Bengal remains relatively stable. As per the latest bulletin, districts including Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, and Cooch Behar are likely to experience only light rain or thundershowers at isolated places, with no weather warnings issued for the region. According to the local forecast valid until Saturday, Kolkata will experience a maximum temperature of around 32 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature may remain near 25 degree Celsius. On Friday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 31.5 degree Celsius, and a minimum of 25.8 degree Celsius. The maximum relative humidity touched 97 percent, with a minimum of 74 percent, reflecting high moisture levels in the atmosphere. Rainfall recorded in 24 hours starting at 11:30 am on October 9 stood at 0.1 mm. Meteorologists have attributed the prevailing weather to a cyclonic circulation over south Bangladesh and adjoining areas extending up to 5.8 km above mean sea level, coupled with a trough running from south Odisha to the Comorin area across coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express
