The weather office said in a press statement, “A squall lasting three minutes passed over the Alipore observatory (Kolkata) from northwesterly direction today at 5:41pm with a maximum speed of 84 km per hour and over Dumdum lasting one minute at 6pm from westerly direction at a speed of 62 km per hour.”

The Meteorological Department had predicted that there was a possibility of thundershowers in the districts of south Bengal from Monday to Wednesdayand winds with a speed of 30-40 km per hour.

Dark clouds were seen in Howrah, Nadia, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas besides Kolkata.

Meanwhile, a convoy of Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was reportedly stuck at Bhatar Bazar when he on his way for a meeting in Purba Bardhaman’s Mangalkot. Trees were uprooted in some areas.

The day recorded a maximum temperature of 36.7 degrees Celsius, one notch higher than the normal, and a minimum temperature of 26.1 degrees Celsius, one degree less than normal. From May 15 to May 20, thunderstorms and rain accompanied by lightning will be witnessed by some districts, the weather department has said.

“Till May 17, south Bengal is quite likely to receive thunderstorms along with gusty winds with a speed of 30-40 km per hour followed by lightning at one or two places. The wind speed is likely to increase to 40-50 km per hour from May 18 onwards,” it added.

The weather department further said, “Heavy rainfall has been witnessed in areas like Burdwan, Asansol, Durgapur. Districts like Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia have also received considerable amount of rainfall. Huge rainfall along with winds is likely in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts. There is a possibility of damage to standing crops as well as reduced visibility in certain districts of West Bengal. Unsecured structures could also get damaged.”

Also, several areas in Bardhaman witnessed power cuts, it is learnt.
People have been advised to stay indoor or not go near electric poles during thunderstorm activities. They have also been asked to use the Damini app for real-time lightning alerts.

Train movement hit as branches fall on tracks
Train movement in different sections of the railways’ Sealdah division was affected on Monday evening after tree branches and other things fell on overhead wires and on rail tracks in the wake of high-speed winds.

Tree branches fell on suburban lines between Shyamnagar and Kankinara, affecting train movement between Shyamnagar and Naihati.

The trains, however, were redirected through other two lines which were not affected.

Also, the train movement in the Baruipur-Lakshmikantapur section was affected after some items got entangled with overhead wires at the Jayanagar station.