Thunderstorms, rain likely in Kolkata, South Bengal as second-phase voting continues

As voting got underway for the second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on Wednesday, the weather department warned of possible thunderstorms and rain later in the day, particularly across South Bengal and Kolkata.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said stormy conditions are likely to prevail in several polling districts, even as voters turned out amid sweltering heat and high humidity levels that pushed discomfort levels significantly.

Polling began at 7 am and is scheduled to continue till 6 pm across 142 constituencies. However, officials said the likelihood of thunderstorms is expected to rise after 3 pm, potentially impacting voter turnout in the latter half of the day.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, favourable atmospheric conditions have developed due to a cyclonic circulation over North Bengal, combined with moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal and an east-west low-pressure axis.

“There is a high chance of thunderstorms accompanied by rain occurring later in the day,” a Met official said.

The alert covers multiple districts going to polls, including Howrah, Hooghly, East Burdwan, Nadia, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas. A heavy rain warning has been issued, particularly for East Burdwan and adjoining areas.

Thunderstorm activity has been persisting across the state for the past few days, offering brief relief from heat but also raising concerns over disruptions.

On Tuesday, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 33.09°C—1.7 degrees below normal — while the minimum stood at 28.5°C, over 2 degrees above normal. Relative humidity ranged between 70 per cent and 85 per cent, contributing to oppressive conditions on polling day.

Authorities are monitoring both weather and polling conditions closely, with vote counting scheduled for 4 May.

With IANS inputs