Weather West Bengal

Heavy rain alert for South Bengal, fishermen advised to return

The Alipore Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rain and strong winds across South Bengal next week as a low-pressure area forms over the Bay of Bengal. Under a cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea, it may become a depression by Monday, a deep depression by Tuesday, and reach the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh coasts by Wednesday. Rain begins Tuesday in North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. IMD issued an orange alert for four districts; fishermen must avoid the sea Monday to Friday.

Written by AI from Indian Express — Cities · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 20 Sept 2026, 2:58 pm IST

Source

Indian Express — Cities · read the original report ↗

#heavy rain#imd#orange alert#fishermen#bay of bengal#west bengal

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

A low-pressure area is forming over the Bay of Bengal and may intensify into a depression by Monday and a deep depression by Tuesday. — Attributed to the Alipore Meteorological Department/weather office in the source.
IMD has issued an orange alert for severe weather in four districts. — Attributed to the India Meteorological Department; the four districts are not named in the source.
Fishermen advised not to venture to sea Monday to Friday and to return to coast by Monday. — Stated as an official advisory in the source.
Squally winds of 40-50 km/h along the West Bengal coast from Wednesday to Friday; gusts up to 70 km/h near central Bay of Bengal. — Figures appear in the source as forecast by the weather office.
Kolkata recorded a minimum of 26.4C on Sunday and a maximum of 32.4C on Saturday. — Attributed to Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata data in the source.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Political Analyst

On the surface this is a weather bulletin, but in West Bengal such warnings quickly become a test of administrative delivery. The districts flagged for heavy rain — North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur — are among the state's most politically sensitive, high-seat belts, so any perceived gap in relief tends to become a political talking point. The advisory barring fishermen from the sea from Monday to Friday also hits a large livelihood constituency directly, which could feed demands around relief and compensation.

Advance warning gives governments room to showcase preparedness, but it equally removes any excuse if the response falls short.
Because the 24 Parganas and Medinipur districts carry heavy political weight, both ruling and opposition camps are likely to watch relief operations there closely.
A five-day ban on venturing to sea means income loss for fishing communities, and compensation could emerge as a local political demand.
With the system expected to track towards the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh coasts, coordination on central assistance and disaster funds across states adds another political dimension.
Renewed rain forecast for North Bengal districts such as Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri could stretch the state machinery on two fronts at once.

What to watch — Watch how quickly district administrations move on evacuation and relief camps, and whether any announcement is made on losses to fishermen — that will shape the political conversation.

The story rests entirely on meteorological forecasts and establishes no political statement, government action, compensation decision or electoral link.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 8 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

A cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea, extending up to 7.6 km above sea level, is set to spawn a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal that will track west-northwest. The Alipore Meteorological Department (Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata) expects it to intensify into a depression by Monday and a deep depression by Tuesday before approaching the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh coasts by Wednesday morning. The system is forecast to bring heavy rain and squally winds to South Bengal from Tuesday to Friday, with rain also picking up in North Bengal from Wednesday. Fishermen have been told to return to the coast by Monday and to stay off the sea from Monday to Friday.

Key facts

A cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea extends up to 7.6 km above sea level; a low-pressure area is expected to form and move west-northwest.
The system is likely to become a depression by Monday and a deep depression by Tuesday, reaching near the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts by Wednesday morning.
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for severe weather in four districts of West Bengal.
Heavy rain begins Tuesday in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur; scattered heavy rain Wednesday to Friday with squally winds gusting 40-50 km/h.
Winds over the east-central and adjoining northeast Bay of Bengal may reach 45-55 km/h on Monday and 50-60 km/h on Tuesday; gusts up to 70 km/h near the central Bay of Bengal.
Fishermen advised not to venture into the sea from Monday to Friday; those at sea must return to the coast by Monday.
Kolkata recorded a minimum of 26.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning (0.1 above normal); Saturday's maximum was 32.4 degrees Celsius (0.4 below normal).
In the 24 hours ending 8.30 am, state average cumulative rainfall was 6.7 mm, a -16 per cent departure from the long-period average; Basirhat recorded 60 mm and Sagar Island 58.6 mm.

Timeline

SaturdayKolkata's maximum temperature was 32.4 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees below normal.
Sunday morningKolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius; Alipore logged 32.4 degrees Celsius maximum, 24.6 degrees Celsius minimum and 7.5 mm rain in 24 hours.
MondayLow-pressure area likely to intensify into a depression over east-central Bay of Bengal; sea turns rough; fishermen at sea must return to the coast.
TuesdaySystem likely to become a deep depression; heavy rain begins in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur; Bay winds 50-60 km/h.
Wednesday morningDeep depression expected near the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts; rain picks up again in North Bengal.
Wednesday to FridayScattered heavy rain across multiple South Bengal districts with squally winds of 40-50 km/h along the West Bengal coast.
ThursdayStronger storm activity expected in Paschim Medinipur; heavy rain likely in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.
Friday and SaturdayStronger storm activity in North 24 Parganas; heavy rain in Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Uttar Dinajpur.

Who has a stake

Fishermen of coastal West Bengal — Barred from the sea Monday to Friday and asked to return by Monday due to rough seas and winds up to 70 km/h, hitting livelihoods.
Alipore Meteorological Department / Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata — Issues the forecast, daily weather summary and advisories on which state response depends.
India Meteorological Department — Issued the orange alert for severe weather in four districts.
Coastal districts - North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur — Face continuous heavy rain, squally winds and storm activity from Tuesday to Saturday.
North Bengal districts - Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Uttar Dinajpur — Rain to resume from Wednesday with heavy spells from Thursday and Friday after a deficient spell.
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts — Expected landfall zone of the deep depression by Wednesday morning.

Why it matters

Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems are the main driver of heavy rain and marine hazards on India's eastern seaboard, and advance warnings of depressions determine whether fishing fleets, coastal farmers and city drainage systems are prepared. The forecast also flags sharp rainfall inequality within one state - some South Bengal districts are nearly 200 per cent above normal while Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are 99 per cent deficient.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea extended up to 7.6 km above sea level in this system.
Intensification order stated: low-pressure area to depression (Monday) to deep depression (Tuesday).
Orange alert for severe weather issued by IMD for four West Bengal districts.
Daily Weather Summary is issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata; Alipore is its observatory.
Rainfall departures: North 24 Parganas +196 per cent, South 24 Parganas +193 per cent, Darjeeling -99 per cent, Jalpaiguri -99 per cent.
Highest 24-hour rainfall: Basirhat 60 mm, Sagar Island 58.6 mm, Durgapur (CWC) 34.2 mm.

Mains framing

The forecast illustrates how a single Bay of Bengal system - a cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea deepening into a low-pressure area, then a depression and deep depression before tracking to the Odisha-Andhra coasts - can dictate rainfall, wind and marine risk across an entire region for a week. Its implications are threefold: livelihood risk for fishermen barred from the sea for five days amid winds gusting to 70 km/h over the central Bay; disaster-preparedness pressure on coastal districts such as North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur facing continuous heavy rain from Wednesday to Saturday; and a hydrological puzzle in which the state average rainfall is 16 per cent below the long-period average even as coastal districts run nearly 200 per cent above normal and Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Kalimpong are 95-99 per cent deficient. The way forward, as reflected in the source, rests on graded colour-coded alerts, district-wise forecasts and timely fishermen advisories with a clear return deadline, backed by daily observational summaries that let administrations localise response rather than treat the state as one unit.

Key terms

Cyclonic circulation: A rotating wind system in the atmosphere, here over the North Andaman Sea up to 7.6 km high, that can seed a low-pressure area.
Low-pressure area: An area of reduced atmospheric pressure over the sea; the first stage of a system that can intensify further.
Depression / Deep depression: Successive intensified stages of a low-pressure system; expected by Monday and Tuesday respectively in this case.
Orange alert: An IMD severe-weather warning level, issued here for four West Bengal districts.
Squally winds: Sudden strong gusty winds; forecast at 40-50 km/h along the West Bengal coast from Wednesday to Friday.
Long-period average (LPA): The benchmark normal rainfall against which departures are measured; state rainfall was -16 per cent against it.

Practice questions

How do Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems influence rainfall distribution and marine hazards along India's eastern coast? Discuss with reference to the West Bengal forecast.
Colour-coded weather alerts and fishermen advisories are central to coastal disaster preparedness. Examine their role and limitations.
Within a single state, rainfall departures ranged from +196 per cent to -99 per cent in 24 hours. What does such variability imply for water management and agriculture planning?

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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