Kolkata: The city experienced its rainiest monsoon day of the year on Sunday, as torrential downpours lashed the streets and brought a welcome respite from the sweltering summer heat. By Sunday evening, the city had recorded 62.1 mm of rainfall, marking the second-highest 24-hour rain accumulation for June in Kolkata over the past five years.Sunday’s downpour came as a blessing for Kolkatans only after a day’s gap. On Friday, Kolkata was lashed by a significant rain spell that healed the city of the heat and humidity.The day began on a calm note. Residents woke up to partly cloudy skies, allowing the city’s mega International Yoga Day celebrations to proceed without disruption. The massive event, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw thousands of participants gather across the city. Fortuitously, the weather held just long enough for the sessions to conclude. The heavens opened up almost immediately after the yoga mats were rolled up and tucked away.By late morning, the sky transformed dramatically. Dense, dark cloud columns engulfed the city, plunging Kolkata into a premature twilight before unleashing a fierce thundershower spell. The heavy downpour quickly waterlogged several low-lying streets, slowing down Sunday traffic but bringing immense relief to citizens weary of high humidity.Nearby Dum Dum, which had recorded higher rain during a previous downpour on Friday, registered another substantial 51 mm of rain on Sunday.The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata confirmed that the day’s intense weather successfully brought down temperatures. Both the maximum and minimum temperatures hovered comfortably around the normal mark for this time of the year. Met officials expect the rain to keep ambient heat and humidity at bay for at least a few more days, though the nature of the precipitation is expected to change soon.“The possibility of heavy rain in Kolkata is less from Monday onwards,” said HR Biswas, head of the RMC in Kolkata. “Even if it rains, it is likely to be a short spell, unlike the prolonged downpour we encountered on Sunday. The mercury will continue to hover around the normal mark.”According to a special bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the current weather system is driven by a seasonal trough stretching from Punjab to Bihar across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. This is interacting with a trough in the lower tropospheric westerlies running from East Bihar to coastal Gangetic West Bengal.While south Bengal, including Kolkata, transitions into shorter, sporadic rain spells, the IMD has issued alerts for the northern parts of the state. Driven by a favourable wind pattern and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, heavy to very heavy rainfall—with extremely heavy falls in isolated places—is predicted for north Bengal. Furthermore, residents across several districts of West Bengal have been advised to remain cautious, as thunderstorm and lightning activities are highly likely to persist over the next two days
