Overview
- The India Meteorological Department and the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata issued special forecasts on Friday predicting the highest chance of light to moderate rain and isolated thundershowers between October 15 and 17.
- The greatest rain probability covers Kolkata and parts of south Bengal including North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore and Jhargram.
- Forecasts indicate a short dry spell before the core rainy window with largely dry conditions from October 11 to 13, isolated light rain on Mahalaya (October 10) and a return to mainly dry weather from October 20 to 22.
- Organisers warn that even light or moderate rain can damage intricate pandal artwork and disrupt pandal‑hopping and crowd movement, with daytime highs around 31–33°C and nights near 25–26°C influencing comfort and logistics.
- The forecasts are probabilistic so local committees and authorities are advised to track updates and prepare contingency plans for protection of installations and crowd management.