Different parts of West Bengal received heavy to moderate rainfall on Wednesday, with the weatherman forecasting more rain or cloudy weather in the State in the next two days.
Jalpaiguri in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal received 124.8 mm rainfall since Tuesday morning, while the precipitation was 95.1 mm in Darjeeling Hills, the Met department said.
In Kolkata, the maximum temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal, with a rainfall of 8.1 mm.
The other places which received substantial rainfall in the Gangetic West Bengal were Asansol (61 mm), Bankura (20.1 mm), Burdwan (13.2 mm) and Sriniketan (8.6 mm), according to the Met department.
The weatherman has forecast heavy rain in the next three or four days in the Sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.
In the Gangetic West Bengal, the Met department has forecast generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers in the next two days.
Water logging
Unprotected areas lying in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal were on Wednesday waterlogged due to incessant rain in Sikkim and Bhutan hills and efforts are underway to move the people to safe shelters.
Basusuba and Chapadanga areas in Malbazar block were the most hit.
Jalpaiguri Sadar SDO Seema Haldar said civil defence personnel have been deployed to move the affected people to safer places.
In view of the rising water level, the sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage at Gajoldoba have been opened.
Locals said the embankment which was breached by the Teesta at Basusuba and Chapadanga last year had not been repaired and water was gushing through it.
Rains in parts of Odisha
Though countdown begins for the onset of monsoon in Odisha and rainfall has occurred at a few places in north and coastal Odisha, the western region of the State continues to record temperature above 40 degrees Celsius.
Stating that the weather has been dry in south Odisha, an IMD bulletin said that at least seven places in western region experienced temperature above 40 degrees C. Hirakud was the hottest with 42.6 degrees C followed by Sambalpur (41.9 C), Bolangir (41.5 C), Sonepur (41.4 C), Jharsuguda (41.1 C), Bhawanipatna and Titlagarh (40.5 C each).
The State capital, Bhubaneswar, recorded temperature at 31.5 degrees C, but humidity at 94 per cent caused unpleasant weather. The temperature significantly fell in coastal region as Cuttack recorded 31 degrees C and Baklasore 31.7 degrees C, met officials said.
“The maximum temperatures appreciably fell in south coastal Odisha and observed no large change in the rest of the State. They were appreciably above normal in interior Odisha and normal in coastal area,” the Met office said.
Asked about the possible date of monsoon arrival in the state, IMD Regional Director S. C. Sahu said, “We expect the monsoon to reach Odisha by June 16 and 17.”
Meanwhile, the IMD report said that rainfall in different parts of coastal region brought down temperature in many places. While Balasore recorded rainfall of 3 cm, Tiring in Mayurbhanj district, Chandbali in Bhadrak district, Gobindpur in Balasore district received rainfall of 2 cm each.
Similarly, Paradeep in Jagatsinghpur district, Jaipur, Thakurmunda in Mayurbhanj district, Kaniha in Angul district, Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, Jamsolaghat in Mayurbhanj district received 1 cm rainfall each during the last 24 hours.
The IMD also said that light to moderate rainfall likely to occur in a few places in different parts of the State.
The temperature in Cuttack was 35.8 degrees C. The city also received rainfall of 18.6 mm during the last 24 hours. - PTI
