Commuters protect themselves with umbrellas amid rainfall caused by the impact of Cyclone Montha in Nadia district, West Bengal. Photo: PTI
Cyclone Montha to bring heavy rain to some districts in West Bengal till Sat: IMD
The India Meteorological Department issues 'red alert' for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar; landslides feared in hilly areas
Kolkata, Oct 30 (PTI) Cyclone ‘Montha’, which has gradually weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area, will bring heavy rain in some districts of West Bengal till Saturday, the IMD said.
The weather system, which is situated over south Chhattisgarh, is likely to move northwards towards east Madhya Pradesh and weaken further, the India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin.
It is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rainfall at one or two places in the north Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar on Friday, it said, sounding a ‘red alert’ (take action) for these districts.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in the districts of Cooch Behar and Uttar Dinajpur on Friday, while heavy rain is likely in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar on Saturday, the bulletin said.
The IMD warned that landslides may occur in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, owing to the downpour.
The weather office also sounded an alert for heavy rain in some south Bengal districts – Purulia on Thursday, and Birbhum and Murshidabad on Friday.
Light to moderate rain is likely over most places in north Bengal, and several areas of south Bengal till Saturday, the bulletin added.
Torrential rain had claimed over 30 lives in north Bengal in the first week of October, which also triggered landslides in the hills and floods in the plains. PTI