Pictures by Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency.
Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Super El Niño impact begins: Storms and heavy rain expected across 8 South Bengal districts; today's weather forecast.
Confirming earlier apprehensions, the impact of the Super El Niño has begun across India, including Bengal. The monsoon has already arrived in parts of both North and South Bengal and is expected to cover the entire state within the next 2–3 days. Yet, the question on everyone's mind is: where is the monsoon rain? Despite some rainfall in districts like Kolkata and Howrah, the heat remains intense. However, the weather office predicts a change in weather conditions across the districts starting today, Sunday. Severe weather activity is likely to commence in various districts, so do not forget to carry an umbrella. **South Bengal Weather:** Let us first look at the weather forecast for South Bengal today. According to the bulletin issued by the Alipore Weather Office, scattered to moderate rainfall accompanied by storms is likely in the districts of Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, and Murshidabad. The Meteorological Department (IMD) states that the monsoon trough at mean sea level currently extends from a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan and adjoining western Rajasthan, passing through Rajasthan, northern Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Gangetic West Bengal. According to IMD Kolkata, conditions are favorable for the Southwest Monsoon to advance into the remaining parts of West Bengal and further areas of Odisha within the next one to two days. **North Bengal Weather:** The weather office has issued a 'Yellow Alert' for heavy rain today in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar. Additionally, alongside the rain, storms with wind speeds of 40–50 km/h are forecast for these and the remaining districts. **Tomorrow's Weather:** Adverse weather conditions are expected to persist across districts in both South and North Bengal on Monday, the start of the week. Heavy rain is likely in the North Bengal districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar. Meanwhile, moderate to scattered storms and rain are expected in Malda and the North and South Dinajpur districts. From June 16 onwards, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the districts of North Bengal. As for South Bengal, today the districts of East and West Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly are affected.