On Friday (May 29, 2026) afternoon, a Nor’wester brought heavy rains and thunderstorms that battered Kolkata and surrounding areas after a long spell of heat and humidity. The squall disrupted air, rail, and metro, bringing life to a halt.
The sudden dip in mercury brought relief for citizens but also led to distress among commuters as heavy showers reduced visibility, waterlogging, uprooted trees at several places, and traffic snarls across key stretches of the city during peak hours. Fallen trees blocked many cardinal roads across the city well into the evening as rescue operations continued.
According to an official statement from the regional India Meteorological Department (IMD) office, at its strongest, the north-western blew over Kolkata at a maximum speed of 88 kmph between 2.45-2.47 p.m. in Kolkata. In Dumdum of the North 24 Parganas district, the highest registered speed of the storm was 74 kmph. Heavy rains were also reported from Howrah and Hooghly districts.
Several cars across Kolkata and Salt Lake were crushed under uprooted trees. Initial estimates reported that at least 30 trees were uprooted; rescue and relief operations continued in the evening. No casualties had been reported till late evening
One station on the Blue Line metro between Garia and Dakhineshwar saw leakage from the roof after a portion of the roof was blown off due to the gushing winds. Metro railways were running a truncated service for some time.
Train services between Sealdah-Barasat had to be suspended for some time after overhead wires snapped during the storm. Flight services at the Kolkata international airport were also temporarily suspended after parts of the runway were waterlogged. This led to flight delays, but the services normalised in the evening.
Damage was also reported from South City Mall in Kolkata, where a few glass windows shattered due to the storm. But no injuries were reported, according to an official statement from the mall authorities.
Published - May 30, 2026 11:01 am IST
Bengal / Kolkata / India / weather / Bengal
Source: The Hindu - India News
