A powerful thunderstorm swept across Kolkata on Thursday evening, sending gusty winds through neighbourhoods, disrupting traffic with blinding showers and complicating the southwest monsoon’s withdrawal from south Bengal.
The India Meteorological Department recorded 2.6mm of rain at Alipore till 8.30pm, although several other parts of the city received significantly heavier showers, according to a report by Telegraph India. The sudden downpour affected movement across multiple areas, with poor visibility and wet roads slowing traffic during the evening period.
Strong winds also sent flowerpots flying from balconies in some locations, while lightning illuminated the sky. The combination of intense rain, gusts and reduced visibility created difficult conditions for road users, particularly during a period when Kolkata’s streets were carrying peak evening traffic.
The storm arrived on the date traditionally associated with the withdrawal of the monsoon from south Bengal. October 8 is considered the usual date for the southwest monsoon to retreat from the region. However, the withdrawal line had earlier stalled after reaching parts of the heartland, including Jharkhand, as multiple weather systems remained active.
The Met Office said the withdrawal resumed on Thursday. The southwest monsoon further withdrew from the remaining parts of Maharashtra and from some areas of Goa, Karnataka, Telangana and Odisha, as well as additional parts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. It added that conditions were becoming favourable for further withdrawal from parts of eastern India, the northern peninsula and large parts of northeast India during the next three to four days.
For Kolkata and south Bengal, the continued storm activity is linked to moisture being drawn into the region. The Met report identified an upper-air cyclonic circulation over northeast Bihar and nearby areas, along with a trough extending from the circulation to Telangana across Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Met officials said these systems were feeding moisture into south Bengal, where it was interacting with heat to produce thunderstorms.
The uneven distribution of rain was reflected in the large difference between the Alipore reading and conditions reported elsewhere in the city. Such local variation can leave some roads relatively clear while causing sudden visibility and traffic problems in other parts of the urban road network.
The rain is expected to subside from Saturday, according to the Met Office. A Met official said there was no rain warning for Kolkata and the surrounding region from October 10 to October 13.
