Back-to-back low pressure: City likely to get rain on Diwali

MP | 12 Oct 2022 | KOLKATA/DARJEELING: City dwellers may witness rainfall during Diwali as the MeT office predicted two back-to-back low pressure over Bay of Bengal on October 15 and October 20, each likely to bring rainfall in various South Bengal districts. 

Several parts of South Bengal, including Kolkata received scattered rainfall during Durga Puja. 

On the day of Lakshmi Puja, there had been sporadic rainfall in various districts as well. 

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore said that the first low pressure may form over Bay of Bengal on October 15 while the second will come up on October 20 as a result the people in South Bengal districts may again witness a wet Diwali. 

Hot and humid weather will continue to haunt people in South Bengal in the next couple of days but in case of North Bengal the situation may turn worse. Four districts in North Bengal will receive heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours. 

The MeT department has already issued 'red' warning of torrential rain for Sikkim and 'orange' warning of very heavy rainfall in Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Darjeeling till Wednesday. IMD already issued a flash flood warning saying that "moderate flash flood risk is likely over few watersheds and neighbourhoods of Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim in next 24 hours". 

Heavy rains continued unabated in the state of Sikkim with the IMD's "Red" warning for Mangan and "Orange" for Gangtok and Pakyong for Tuesday. 

A fresh Orange alert has been issued by the weather office for Wednesday for Mangan district of Sikkim. Removal of debris and repair of roads are being undertaken on a war footing in Sikkim. 

The National Highway 10, connecting Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim with Siliguri in the plains of West Bengal remained operational on Tuesday also. However, in certain landslide affected areas like 20th Mile and 14th Mile on the NH10, only one side of the road is open to traffic, causing serpentine traffic jams. 

Traffic movement is very slow on the NH10. At 11:15 pm on Monday around 45 tourists from Kolkata, on the way back from Sikkim, and had missed their trains, had put in a request for a special bus service to Kolkata. 

A bus was arranged by midnight from the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus in Siliguri. 

"We have a bus for tonight and another on standby" stated Partha Pratim Roy, Chairman, North Bengal State Transport Corporation. Two help-lines have been started – 9434739436, 03532514920 for stranded tourists and passengers. 

Contrary to North, temperature may slightly go up in South Bengal in the next couple of days with hot and humid conditions continuing to haunt people. There may be some scattered rainfall in the coastal districts like West Midnapore, East Midnapore, South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/back-to-back-low-pressure-city-likely-to-get-rain-on-diwali-495636