Kolkata/Bhubaneswar/Ranchi:Heavy rains trigerred by a depression Monday lashed most parts of Gangetic West Bengal, majority of the districts of Odisha and Jharkhand, where the rain deficit was reduced to 25 per cent, the weatherman said. Widespread rain trigerred by a depression was witnessed over most parts of Gangetic West Bengal during the day and is likely to continue till Wednesday morning with the Met department forecasting heavy to very heavy rain owing to a depression that has weakened into a well-marked low pressure.
Normal life was disrupted in south Bengal districts on the first working day of the week on Monday owing to the widespread rain. The Met department said that the depression that lay over south Madhya Pradesh on Monday afternoon has weakened into a well-marked low pressure and will continue to bring in its wake gusty wind with speed of 35 to 45 kmph in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha till Tuesday. The weatherman forecast heavy rain in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of Gangetic West Bengal till Wednesday morning.
It also warned of very heavy rain in the districts of East Midnapore, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Nadia till Tuesday morning and heavy rain thereafter till Wednesday morning. Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, scientist U S Dash said that parts of Odisha are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall with heavy to very rainfall at some places till Tuesday owing to the system. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the Bay of Bengal till Tuesday owing to rough sea conditions. Light to moderate rain with spells of sharp showers affected normal life in Kolkata and other places in south Bengal during the day inconveniencing children travelling to schools and people to their workplaces.
Digha received the highest rainfall in West Bengal in 24 hours till 8.30 am at 114 mm, followed closely by Kanthi at 110 mm, the Met said.
Kolkata received 60 mm rainfall, while other places that received considerable amounts of rainfall in Bengal are Haldia (75 mm), Canning (65 mm), Diamond Harbour (65 mm) and Kalaikunda (52 mm), it said.
Dash said districts in Odisha like Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and some places in interior Odisha will continue to experience heavy rain.
The Met office said that 25 out of the 30 districts of Odisha were lashed by the rains. Dash said parts of Odisha are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall at places owing to the system which is likely to move north-westwards and weaken gradually by Monday evening.
Jajpur received a maximum 90 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am in Odisha, followed by 85 mm at Baliapal in Balasore, 79.2 mm at Potangi in Koraput, 78 mm at Erasama in Jagatsinghpur, 72 mm at Bhograin in Balasore and Derabis in Kendrapara, and 70.3 mm at Tangi in Cuttack district in the state.
Bhubaneswar recorded 42.8 mm rainfall, Cuttack city got 34.4 mm rainfall during the period, affecting normal life, it said.
The Met said that heavy rainfall will continue at isolated places in Balangir, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Deogarh, Nuapada, and Keonjhar till Tuesday.
With incessant rain lashing Balasore, Jalaka river is flowing above the danger mark at Mathani, officials said. Jharkhand is being lashed by incessant rains since Sunday evening which has reduced its rain deficit this season to 25 per cent, the IMD said.
Ranchi meteorological centre in-charge Abhishek Anand told PTI that the state received 676.2 mm rainfall from June 1 to September 12 against the normal rainfall of 899.6 mm rainfall during the period.
The heavy rain has helped reduce Jharkhand's overall rainfall deficit from 27 per cent on Sunday to 25 per cent on Monday and the precipitation in seven districts - Bokaro, East Singhbhum, Khunti, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Saraikela-Kharaswan and West Singhbhum has now reached the normal category threshold of monsoon.
Seventeen other districts, however, still have rain shortfall ranging from from 24% to 66%. Pakur is facing the maximum rain shortfall at 66%, followed by Sahibganj at 62% and Godda at 55% rain shortfall, the IMD official said.
Anand said that northeast parts of Jharkhand are facing major rain deficit as most systems that formed during monsoon season this year passed through or below southern line of the state. Due to scanty rainfall in the first two monsoon months, Jharkhand farmers are facing drought -like situation. The state's overall rainfall deficiency from June 1 to July 31 was at 49 per cent, Anand added. PTI
