Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: With the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a well-marked system on Saturday, the IMD forecast light to moderate rainfall in some areas of West Bengal and Odisha on October 23 and 24, the last two days of Durga puja. The low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal became a well-marked low pressure and the system is likely to intensify further into a depression around October 22 (Sunday), the IMD said in a bulletin.
"It is very likely to intensify into a depression over west-central Bay of Bengal by October 22 and thereafter likely to move towards Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts," an IMD spokesperson said. As the depression will intensify further during the subsequent three days (onwards October 23), there will be "very light to light rain likely at one or two places over coastal Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal and adjoining pockets in Howrah and Kolkata, the spokesperson said.
There will be mainly dry weather likely over the rest of the districts of South Bengal on October 24, the day of Bijoya Dashami, the last day of the festival and October 25. With the city geared for the Durga Puja extravaganza from October 20, the Met office on Thursday said that the revellers will not be troubled by rain till 'Ashtami' (the eighth day of Navratri) on October 22.
There may, however, be drizzle in the city and the coastal districts on 'Navami' (the ninth day of Navratri) on October 23 which will intensify on the next day -'Dashami', the last day of the festival. Somnath Das, spokesperson of Santoshpur Lake Pally, told PTI "We can only hope the weather situation does not turn worse as it will then affect hundreds of labourers, small time traders who look forward to these five puja days and hit hard by the covid situation in 2020-21."
The IMD Bhubaneswar centre said under the influence of the low-pressure area and its further intensification, squally weather with wind speed reaching up to 65kmph is likely on October 22 over the deep sea area of west-central Bay of Bengal and up to 70 kmph on October 23 and 24 over west central adjoining north Bay of Bengal. It also forecast squally weather with wind speed reaching 45-65 kmph along and off the Odisha coast from October 24.
The IMD cautioned fishermen not to venture into the sea and return to the coast by October 22 as the sea condition will be rough. Umakshankar Das, senior scientist at the meteorological centre, Bhubaneswar, said there was no warning of heavy rain, but several places in the state may receive light to moderate rain or thundershower under its impact on October 23 and 24.
Light to moderate rain or thundershower is very likely to occur at a few places over the districts of coastal Odisha and at one or two places over the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri on October 23, the Met office said. (PTI)
