KOLKATA: A delayed withdrawal of monsoon and a low-pressure system that is likely to form on October 19 are set to lead to a wet Puja. Kolkata could receive repeated spells of light rain between October 22 and 24 (Shasthi-Ashtami) that threaten to spoil the festivities. The skies could clear up by Nabami (October 25) though, predicted the Met office, However, there is no possibility of sustained, intense rain during the Pujas. Monsoon will remain active in the region till the end of the Pujas, the Met office added.
A low-pressure set to form over central Bay of Bengal could move towards the Andhra-Odisha coast. A trough from the system could then extend across south Bengal to Bangladesh. “It could usher in south-easterly winds that will bring in moisture from the sea, helping precipitation. We are not expecting heavy showers, though. Frequent spells of light rain are likely from October 22,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das.
The probability of showers is high between October 22 and 24 and the city will remain cloudy. Temperature could drop to 30°C-32°C. “On October 25 and 26, we expect the weather to improve though a spell or two of rain is not ruled out,” added Das. Kolkata could receive slightly heavier rain on one of the three days. “Rather than intense rain, we expect short spells,” said Das.
The lead-up to the festival, however, will remain dry. With no rain-bearing system in the region, temperature is expected to hover around 35°C. It will continue to remain warm and humid till October 20.
Monsoon, though, is yet to bow out of south Bengal and may linger till the end of the month, said weathermen. The reason behind its ‘delayed withdrawal’ was the ‘continuing rainfall activity in south-eastern India’, said Das. “There are certain conditions that must be met to signal the withdrawal of monsoon — absence of rain for a certain number of days, presence of northwesterly wind and reduction in moisture-level,among others. This time, we have a deep depression in the South China Sea that has been generating systems over Bay of Bengal. They have been hitting the coast and keeping the region wet,” said Das. Even though it was unusual for the monsoon to linger till end-October, there have been occasions when it has continued till October 20, he said.