Karmactive Staff
A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has triggered severe weather warnings across South Bengal this week. The India Meteorological Department‘s Alipore office in Kolkata issued a red alert for West Midnapore, Bankura and Jhargram on Monday, signalling rainfall of 200 millimetres or more in these districts. The system strengthened from a low-pressure area over the north-western Bay of Bengal and now sits close to Kolkata, moving north-westwards towards Jharkhand.
An orange alert covers East Midnapore, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East Burdwan, West Burdwan and Purulia, with rainfall between 110 and 200 millimetres expected. Kolkata and the remaining South Bengal districts are under a yellow alert for scattered heavy rain of 70 to 110 millimetres, along with thunderstorms and wind gusts of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour.
In simple terms, a deep depression is a weather system where low atmospheric pressure pulls in moisture-laden air that rises and spins. For a coastal city like Kolkata, this intensifies rainfall and strains drainage systems already busy with the monsoon. The system’s north-westward path will carry it inland, but it leaves heavy moisture behind.
North Bengal faces a similar threat. Yellow alerts stay in place through Tuesday, August 19, with scattered heavy rain and lightning likely. Rainfall may pick up between Monday and Tuesday as the system moves inland.
Fishermen were placed under immediate restrictions. The IMD barred fishing activity in the north Bay of Bengal and off the West Bengal coast until Tuesday because of squally winds of 45 to 55 kilometres per hour and rough seas. Authorities asked the public to avoid waterlogging-prone areas and take shelter during thunderstorms.
Heavy rain is expected to continue through Tuesday, with the heaviest falls on Monday and Tuesday. The warning comes during an active monsoon season in eastern India. Officials urged residents to follow IMD bulletins, avoid unnecessary travel in affected zones, and prepare for possible road and rail disruption. The drainage pressure typical of such depressions can cause local flooding in low-lying neighbourhoods.
The alerts reflect another intense rainfall episode in eastern India this monsoon, following the low-pressure systems that have repeatedly formed over the Bay this season.
