Weekend rain for Kolkata, snowfall in Darjeeling

KOLKATA: The city might get light rain this weekend as hailstorm and spell of rain have been predicted by the Met office, while snowfall is expected for Darjeeling. This is supposed to bring the mercury in Kolkata to dip below the normal mark once again.
“We are expecting light rain either on Friday or Saturday in Kolkata. In fact clouds will start gathering over the city’s skyline from Friday onwards,” said GK Das, director (weather) Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata.
According to the Met office, three simultaneous weather systems will be responsible for the rain and snowfall.Currently there is a cyclonic circulation over Bihar and adjoining areas, adding to it will be a confluence of two wind system – the easterly and westerly as a western disturbance (WD) passes the region during Friday and Saturday.
The intensity of rain in Kolkata will depend on how close the WD comes to the city. So far its trajectory includes parts of North Bengal. Darjeeling and parts of Sikkim are expected to receive snowfall on Friday and Saturday.
According to the weatherman, the WD has blocked the path of the the cool and dry Northwesterly wind in the past few days. Instead the Easterly wind has been injecting moisture pushing up the mercury.
The minimum temperature on Thursday hovered around the normal mark at 16.4 degree Celsius, while the maximum temperature was a notch above normal at 28.6 degree Celsius.
Both the day and night temperature are set to go up further on Friday before it starts climbing down once again. The Met office expects the retreat should start from Saturday onward.
“The mercury will fall again over the weekend. Even if the fall does not nosedive, the temperature will go down by about two degree Celsius below the normal mark, reviving the feeling of cold” said Das.