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India’s weather office on Wednesday issued a thunderstorm alert for several districts across southern West Bengal, warning of possible lightning strikes and gusty winds between 3 June and 9

June. From 1.20 p.m. on Wednesday, light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds ranging between 30 to 40 kmph is expected to affect parts of East and West Midnapore

districts for the one to two hours, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore said. Similarly, from around 2 p.m, light to moderate rain and thunderstorm activity is likely over parts of

South and North 24-Parganas, accompanied by gusty winds. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi has issued an advance warning of enhanced lightning activity across the

southern districts of West Bengal till 9 June. Meteorologists attributed the spike in lightning strikes to the presence of cumulonimbus cloud formations — vertically developed thunderclouds

which can rise up to 13 kilometres in height. When two or more of these massive clouds interact near the surface, the resulting friction often generates intense electrical activity. Similar

cloud collisions over Kolkata on Tuesday triggered frequent lightning strikes across the city. The IMD’s Alipore office is issuing real-time alerts through the NowCast system, with a red

warning for excessive lightning declared for five southern districts as late as 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday night. Authorities have advised residents, especially those unable to track warnings in

real-time, to instal the “Damini” mobile application developed by the IMD, which provides advanced lightning alerts via push notifications. Advertisement Meanwhile, parts of north Bengal are

also forecast to receive scattered rainfall. Thunderstorms with lightning are likely over five districts including Darjeeling, while light to moderate showers and gusty winds with speeds up

to 50 kmph are expected over Malda and both Dinajpur districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has clarified that the southwest monsoon is not expected to arrive in the region

before 10 June though Kolkata witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday night. The rain was accompanied by strong winds and lightning, as several districts in southern West Bengal experienced

intense pre-monsoon showers. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has clarified that the southwest monsoon is not expected to arrive in the region before 10 June. Advertisement

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