96kmph gale uproots more trees across city – Times of India

Kolkata: Exactly a week after cyclone Amphan had roared through Kolkata, a 96km/hr Nor’wester swept through the city on Wednesday evening, accompanied by a spell of blinding rain. It uprooted trees and left roads waterlogged at parts of north and south Kolkata, hampering power restoration and road-clearance efforts across the city.
The Met office has predicted more such thunderstorms between Friday and Sunday under the impact of a low-pressure trough that will sail across south Bengal. The city received 33mm rain on Wednesday.
The Nor’wester struck at 6.23pm on Wednesday following a humid afternoon. It led to uprooting of trees at Jadavpur University, Rashbehari Avenue, Behala, SC Mullick Road, Sarat Bose Road, Belgachhia and Beadon Street. Trees also toppled on Northern Avenue and Gorabagan Street. A house at Telengabagan in north Kolkata was damaged.
A low-pressure trough across Uttar Pradesh and Assam, which had been triggering thunderstorms across north Bengal since Monday, slid southward, leading to the Nor’wester. “It was aided by heating across the plains of Bihar and Jharkhand that drew moisture from a high-pressure zone above Bay of Bengal. We expect more thunderstorms across south Bengal from Friday to Sunday. There could be sporadic heavy showers as the low-pressure trough moves south and travels toward north Bay of Bengal,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director GK Das.
The trough between Uttar Pradesh and Assam triggered thundershowers across north Bengal. It was aided by a high-pressure zone above Bay of Bengal which supplied moisture and led to a strong breeze in Kolkata. “The wind from the sea travelled from south to north across Kolkata. It continued till the low-pressure in north Bengal existed. It is now travelling towards south Bengal, which has led to thunderstorms across Gangetic Bengal. These troughs are common in the pre-monsoon period,” said a weather scientist.
Kolkata had remained windy and cloudy under the impact of the trough since Monday. On Wednesday, though, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas were lashed by thunderstorms. “The entire region could receive more storms,” added Das.
Several roads were waterlogged at Dum Dum and Belgachhia. MG Road, Muktarambabu Street, Sukeas Street, Amherst Street, Camac Street, Ekbalpore and Behala were flooded as well.