Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Why is it raining so fiercely in Kolkata, explained?

A cyclonic circulation that had evolved over the sea rushed towards the West Bengal coast, generating the heavy rain, according to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) regional office in Kolkata
September 29, 2021

Since the early hours of Monday, torrential rains have been pummelling Kolkata and its surrounding districts, disrupting regular life on the first working day of the week, with the MET predicting further rain for at least another day. From 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., the city received more than 100 millimetres of rain, burying many major thoroughfares and low-lying regions in knee-deep water. Kolkata Municipal Corporation drainage pumping stations recorded 136 mm rain at Dhapa, 115 mm at Kalighat, and 109 mm at Ballygunge, according to an official.

Kolkata has set a new record for most rainfall in 14 years, with over 200 millimetres of rain falling in the last two days. The previous record was set in 2007 when the city received 174 millimetres of rain. While airports, hospitals, and highways are beginning to flood, the weather service predicts that heavy rains will continue for another day.

According to the Regional Weather Centre in Kolkata, the areas near Alipore have received 20 centimetres of rain in the last two days, while sections of north Kolkata have received 22 centimetres of rain, with the Salt Lake area receiving 24 centimetres. This is a big record for back-to-back rains, according to Met authorities, and the highest in the last 14 years.

The weather change in the region is due to two main events occurring over the Bay of Bengal and in South Bangladesh, both of which have an impact on the city’s weather patterns. “Whenever something builds up above Bangladesh, there’s a very good likelihood of heavy to very heavy rains in Kolkata,” said Dr GK Das, Regional Met Director, to indiatoday.in. The clouds over Kolkata stayed static throughout the day, according to meteorologists. However, if the system is moving, the rains may not last as long, but the system moves slowly in huge cities like Kolkata.