Met office issues rain warning Last year, Cyclone Titli was credited for making the Puja weather dry and sunny, perfect for pandal hopping

TT, 29.09.19, Calcutta: Mahalaya was dark and wet and the run up to Puja is likely to stay that way.

A trough of low-pressure extending from Uttar Pradesh to north-eastern Bay of Bengal threatens to bring heavy rain in most parts of Bengal, the Met office said in a bulletin issued on Saturday.

Calcutta and adjoining areas have been kept out of the heavy warning radar but are expected to receive light to moderate showers. As a familiar foe, rain is back to haunt Calcuttans before their biggest festival, social media is abuzz.

“Buy Great Designer umbrellas & gift the same to each other & Enjoy Durga Pujo 2019! You can also explore the Raincoats if you wish…” said a Facebook post on Saturday.

A picture being forwarded on WhatsApp shows Durga and her children wading through ankle-deep water and covering their heads with bundles. For Calcutta, rain has been the real demon every Durga Puja in recent years except in 2018 and 2015.

Last year, Cyclone Titli was credited for making the Puja weather dry and sunny.

The cyclone made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 11 and passed over Bengal on October 13 in the form of a depression, taking along most of the moisture in the air.

In 2013, Cyclone Phailin (pronounced Pilin) had crashed into Odisha on Ashtami, triggering a downpour Navami onwards. The rainfall got more intense on Dashami and Ekadashi.

Satellite images on Saturday showed a high possibility of heavy rain in the northern districts of Bengal in the coming 48 hours. East and West Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia and North 24 Parganas were also likely to get heavy rain, according to weather scientists.