As voting commences for the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections, the weather department has forecasted the likelihood of thunderstorms and rain later in the day. The Meteorological Office has specifically mentioned that stormy weather is expected in the South Bengal districts and Kolkata, where polling is taking place. Thunderstorms have been a prevailing weather pattern across the state in recent days, with high humidity levels adding to the discomfort index in Kolkata and other South Bengal districts.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata’s Alipore, the weather conditions are favorable for thunderstorms and rain over the next few days, starting from Wednesday. A Met department official explained that a cyclonic circulation over North Bengal, coupled with the influx of water vapor from the east-west low-pressure axis and the Bay of Bengal, has significantly increased the chances of thunderstorms accompanied by rain later in the day. Voting, which began at 7 a.m., will continue until 6 p.m., with the possibility of thunderstorms intensifying across South Bengal and Kolkata after 3 p.m.
The weather forecast is specifically targeted at Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, East Burdwan, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas districts, all of which are part of the ongoing second phase of voting. An alert for heavy rainfall has been issued, particularly for East Burdwan and neighboring districts. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4. On Tuesday, Kolkata and its surrounding areas experienced a maximum temperature of 33.09 degrees Celsius, slightly below normal, and a minimum temperature of 28.5 degrees Celsius, slightly above normal. Relative humidity levels ranged from a maximum of 85 percent to a minimum of 70 percent.
