3 min readKolkataMar 19, 2026 09:49 PM IST By Jigisha Seal The India Meteorological Department has warned of enhanced thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds sweeping across both north and south Bengal for the next couple of days. The IMD bulletin stated that favourable meteorological conditions with strong moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal and intense thunderstorm activity is set to sweep across the state till March 21. The impact was particularly visible in north Bengal even as Coochbehar reported hailstorms while Jalpaiguri witnessed heavy to extremely heavy rain at few places. Oodlabari Tea Estate (Jalpaiguri) recorded 22cm of rain, being the highest in the region. South Bengal received light to moderate rain as of Thursday. South Bengal districts such as Bankura, East Burdwan, Nadia, Hooghly, Birbhum and West Burdwan are expected to receive light to moderate rain accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning as of Thursday. Wind speed may reach 50-60 kmph with scattered hail activity. The IMD has issued an orange alert for south Bengal districts, the intensity of which is likely to peak on …