Pre-Monsoon showers in next 24 hours

Kolkata, Jun 12 (UNI) Kolkatans have to wait for some more time to breathe a sigh of relief as the Met department forecast pre-monsoon showers in the next 24 hours.

Alipore Met Deputy Director R L Meena told UNI here today that isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to hit the city in the next 48 hours.

''Monsoon has already hit the Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Gangtok, but is yet to hit the mainland,'' Mr Meena said.

Though the conditions are favorable, the activity is subdued, Mr Meena added.

The current has passed through the east of the city. Balurghat and its adjoining areas experienced rainfall upto 50 mm, whereas 60-70 mm rainfall was recorded at Cooch Behar and other parts of North Bengal.

Asked upon the delayed monsoon in the city, Mr Meena said a depression should be created in the North West Bay of Bengal, but at present the depression had not been formed.

However, the city today experienced a very cloudy weather giving an impression of heavy rains.

The temperature took a plunge to 34.4 degrees Celsius, one degree more than normal and the minimum was 29 degrees Celsius (-1) with a humidity of 75 per cent.

UNI