Kolkata, April 29 As voting got underway for the second phase of West Bengal Assembly polls, there is a possibility of thunderstorms accompanied by rain later in the day, said the weather department on Wednesday.
The Meteorological Office has predicted that stormy weather will prevail in the South Bengal districts and Kolkata, where polling is being held.
Thunderstorms have been prevailing across the state for the past few days. Currently, voting in 142 constituencies is on amid sweltering heat as high humidity levels have shot up the discomfort index in Kolkata and other South Bengal districts.
According to the forecast of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata's Alipore, there is a strong possibility of thunderstorms and rain in the next few days, starting on Wednesday, due to favourable weather conditions
"A cyclonic circulation is present over North Bengal, and the condition for thunderstorms has been created due to the entry of a large amount of water vapour from the east-west low-pressure axis and the Bay of Bengal. Therefore, there is a high chance of thunderstorms accompanied by rain occurring later in the day," said a Met department official.
Voting began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m. According to the forecast, the possibility of thunderstorms across South Bengal and Kolkata will increase after 3 p.m.
The weather forecast is in place for Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, East Burdwan, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts, which are going to the polls in the second phase of voting.
A heavy rain warning has been issued, especially in East Burdwan and adjacent districts.
The counting of votes will be held on May 4.
On Tuesday, the maximum temperature in Kolkata and its surrounding areas was 33.09 degrees Celsius, which is 1.7 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature was 28.5 degrees Celsius, which is 2.03 degrees above normal. The relative humidity was a maximum of 85 per cent and a minimum of 70 per cent.
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