City prays for dry Puja after 72-hr washout

KOLKATA: Rain will continue to lash the city, at least for the next two days, says the Met office. But the intensity may start to weaken after Wednesday afternoon.
The low pressure area over the Bengal coast that triggered heavy rain for three days is expected to move away slowly. The temperature will hover between 28?C and 25?C on Wednesday. Thursday is likely to see thundershowers."Heavy rain is likely to continue. However, we expect conditions to improve as the intensity is expected to peter out," said Meteorological office director G C Debnath.
The low pressure has brought back the monsoon, which was sucked out of Kolkata by Cyclone Aila on May 25. But since Sunday night, monsoon has regained its full momentum. The 75 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 2.30 pm on Tuesday has made up for the deficiency, say officials.
Though the rain brought relief to farmers, it spoiled the mood of Puja shoppers. Shopkeepers, too, were praying for a let-up in the rain. "Just when shoppers started trooping in hordes, the rain played spoilsport. The footfall has dropped by almost 65% in the past two days," said Aman Ali, of a readymade garments shop in New Market.
The question on everyone's lips is will it rain during the Pujas? Met officials say it is too early to predict yet.