There isn't a year when the weather doesn't changes during Kal Baisakhi in Kolkata. After sweating to intense heat and humidity in the last few days, people of the Mishti city heaved a sigh of relief yesterday when 15 mm of rain lashed the city. Gusting winds blew the tarpaulin shades from the venue of Rahul Gandhi’s rally, supposed to be held today. Squall was so strong that it killed two persons in Burdwan district.
Heavy showers of up to 30 mm was also recorded at many places in neighbouring Bangladesh. Weathermen tell us that the moisture accumulated because of a combination of two low-pressure zones in the region and winds from the Bay of Bengal.
Kal Baisakhi, or Nor'westers (a mass of thick black clouds or kal) a term used in West Bengal, are thundershowers known to arrive from the north or northwest direction, bringing good rain with squally winds during early summers. Kal Baisakhi showers in West Bengal are most common during April and May, sometimes in March too. However, this storm would not qualify as a Nor’wester because it did not blow from the Chhotanagpur Plateau.
True to its name, the Kal Baisakhi clouds made the blue skies of Kolkata, dark and grey as they approached. Another report confirms it started to pour around 5.30 in the evening and showers lasted for about half an hour. While North Kolkata received around 12 mm to 14 mm of rainfall, southern parts of the city recorded just about 2 to 3 mm of rain.
Other places to have recorded rain in West Bengal and Sikkim were, Canning – 16 mm, Diamond Harbour – 3.4 mm, Bankura – 2.4 mm and Gangtok – 1.8 mm.
Strong winds grew stronger by the night, reaching up to 50 kmph in some pockets, and shook trees around Shahid Minar.
“According to the latest weather update by Skymet’s Meteorological Divison, weather in Kolkata could be cloudy today. Rain will be light if any, towards the evening. Humidity as high as 90% will be a bother for the next couple of days”, says Samar Chaudhury of Skymet’s Meteorological Division.
The normal rainfall figure for Kolkata in the month of March is 38.9 mm but the city has recorded only 15.2 mm of rainfall so far, out of which 15 mm was recorded last evening.
Photo by voanews.
