Monsoon Depression Crosses Bengal, Forecasters Warn of More Storms

In a rapid evolution of the Indian monsoon, a low-pressure area that formed over the northeast Bay of Bengal on Thursday has intensified into a monsoon depression and crossed the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on Friday. The system is currently centered about 150 km west-southwest of Khepupara in Bangladesh, 60 km south-southeast of Canning in West Bengal, and 100 km south-southeast of Kolkata.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects the monsoon depression to move across the plains of West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand by Saturday morning, likely retaining its status. This development is significant, as the monsoon trough has now shifted north, passing through Jammu, Chandigarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Patna, Bankura, and Kolkata before dipping into the center of the depression.

The realignment of the trough could open the window for another low-pressure area to form in the Bay of Bengal by July 30, potentially bringing a weak phase of the monsoon that confines rainfall largely to the hills and plains of East and Northwest India. However, the current active monsoon conditions are expected to continue driving enhanced rainfall over East, Central, South, and West India until the end of July.

Despite the overall positive monsoon performance, with rainfall at 105% of the long-term average, significant deficits persist in parts of East and Northeast India, including Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, and the hills of West Bengal and Sikkim. The situation has improved slightly in Central India and the South Peninsula, but pockets of deficits remain, such as in Marathwada and Lakshadweep.