The southwest monsoon will advance in West Bengal within 48 hours, according to G.K. Das, director of the Regional Meteorological Department, Kolkata. The department attributed the development to a low pressure belt that has formed in the north-east Bay of Bengal which is near the coast of Bangladesh.
Kolkata has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the past three days, but the rain did not mark the onset of the monsoon, the department said.
The pre-monsoon showers have led to waterlogging in most parts of south Kolkata. Maniktala received the highest rainfall among all the city localities on Saturday
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The met department said the coastal districts of Gangetic West Bengal would experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, while the other districts of the State would witness isolated heavy rain.
The southwest monsoon will also enter parts of Odisha, Sikkim and most of the Bay of Bengal. The north of the Bay -- along and off West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh coasts -- is likely to have squally winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour