Kolkata, July 31
The incessant rain, which has been battering Kolkata and several South Bengal districts, will continue till next week, with no immediate respite in sight, weather officials said on Thursday.
According to the Met office, Kolkata and seven districts of south Bengal will receive heavy rains on Thursday due to a cyclonic circulation over Gangetic West Bengal. In the remaining districts, thunderstorms with lightning will occur with wind speeds reaching 40 kilometres per hour.
On Thursday morning, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata's Alipore said that the cyclonic circulation positioned over Gangetic West Bengal and adjacent Bangladesh is located between the northwest Bay of Bengal and Odisha coasts.
In addition, the monsoon axis is currently extending along Bikaner, Ranchi, and Digha to the northeast Bay of Bengal. Due to the influence of these two systems, light to moderate rain will continue in the south Bengal districts till next week. There is also a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in some districts.
"Due to the presence of two systems and active monsoon winds, West Bengal is witnessing a prolonged spell of rains. The situation will not improve as the rains will continue till next week. The intensity of rain will vary depending on the changing weather systems," said a Met department official.