Kolkata, A powerful spell of thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and gusty winds swept across Kolkata and several districts of South Bengal on Friday afternoon, bringing relief from the scorching heat but also adding to major disruptions in public life.
The inclement weather affected flight services at the Kolkata airport, with reports of both arrival and departure of flights remaining suspended for over an hour amid waterlogged airstrips.
Train services at the Bongaon section in the south suburban route of Sealdah were also disrupted after uprooted trees fell on overhead electrical wires and railway tracks, officials said.
The squall led to the uprooting of trees in various parts of Kolkata and adjacent Salt Lake, affecting traffic flow and, in some instances, damaging properties with reports of collapsed branches crushing cars parked on the roadside.
Although no casualties were reported, officials said that a two-wheeler driver was injured by a thunder strike in Salt Lake and rushed to hospital.
Personnel from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the state disaster management group were pressed into service to clear the city’s thoroughfares with tree cutters and bulldozers.
Reports of waterlogged roads were also received from some parts of the city.
Dark clouds gathered over Kolkata and adjoining areas since morning, as heavy rain lashed the city, accompanied by strong winds with speeds of 50-60 kmph, battered the metropolis.
Similar weather conditions were reported from neighbouring Howrah and Hooghly districts.
The storm was so intense in some areas that visibility dropped sharply, forcing motorists to switch on headlights during the afternoon hours.
Officials said several hoardings and banners were damaged due to the strong winds.
Some parts of the overhead shades of the Sahid Kshudiram Metro station in south Kolkata were blown away by the winds, leading to rainwater gushing into the platform and affecting services in the Blue Line section.
The IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore said enhanced thunderstorm activity is likely over south Bengal during the next two days owing to favourable wind patterns and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.
In a weather bulletin, the IMD said a trough extending from a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan to interior Odisha, passing through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and north Chhattisgarh at 0.9 km above mean sea level, along with an upper-air cyclonic circulation over north interior Odisha, has created conducive conditions for widespread thunderstorm activity.
Districts of Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Jhargram, Purulia, Birbhum and Paschim Medinipur districts has a forecast of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 60-70 kmph at isolated places.
For the remaining districts of south Bengal, thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph are likely at isolated places, it said.
Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are expected at most places across all districts of South Bengal during the period, the IMD added.
The IMD also cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea along and off the West Bengal and north Odisha coasts, warning that squally winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, are likely to prevail in the region till Friday.
Authorities advised people to remain indoors during thunderstorms and avoid taking shelter under trees or near vulnerable structures.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
