Kolkata: A low-pressure trough crossed over to Madhya Pradesh by Wednesday morning but before moving away, the system brought 123.7 mm of rainfall to the city between Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. According to the Alipore Met office data, of the 123.7mm, 69.3mm rainfall was recorded on Wednesday since morning.The low-pressure area will not have a direct impact on Bengal now, but the system, along with an upper-air trough, which runs from northwest Uttar Pradesh to Bangladesh, has strengthened the monsoon flow. As a result, the city, along with some districts, such as Bankura and Murshidabad, will continue to receive light to moderate rain.“The low pressure, area along with an upper-air trough up to Bangladesh, led to moisture convergence in lower level, strengthening the monsoon flow. This led to the sharp showers on Wednesday,” said H R Biswas, head at Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata.Southern and eastern pockets of the city on Wednesday received heavier rain than central and northern neighbourhoods. Palmar Bazar recorded a little above 50 mm of rainfall and places that logged above-40 mm of rainfall included Topsia, Ballygunge, Mominpore and Belgachhia.This monsoon, Kolkata clocked surplus rain in both June and Aug and a slightly below-normal figure in July. The seasonal rainfall count for the city now stands at a surplus of more than 20%. Under normal conditions, Kolkata should receive a total monthly rainfall count of 311 mm of rain, before the monsoon starts to retreat. “With the city receiving close to 50% of its monthly quota by the first two days of Sept, we record get a normal rain count this month. While we expect a few more spells on Wednesday, the next three days will see scattered showers. There is a possibility of enhanced rain from next Monday again,” added Biswas.Met officials said the trough over the southern states would weaken and gradually shift towards north Bengal. As a result, while the rain frequency would turn sparse in parts of south Bengal in the next few days, Met officials said, parts of north Bengal was expected to get heavy rain. At present, the north Bengal faces rain deficit.The rain continued to keep the city’s maximum temperature below the normal mark, recording 29.6 °C, 2.9 notches below normal. But once the rain intensity lessened, the mercury would climb up slightly, said a Met official.
