Heavy Rain and Storm Warning Hit Kolkata and South Bengal
Listen to the story
A low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has moved close to Kolkata, and it is causing very heavy rain across South Bengal.
This region has been struggling with continuous rain for days, and weather officials warn the situation will not improve quickly.
Kolkata has been badly affected, with several roads left knee-deep in water after non-stop rainfall.
Public transport in the city has been brought to a standstill, making it hard for people to travel.
A new low-pressure system has also formed over the Bay of Bengal, adding to the region's weather problems.
Because of this, a red alert has been issued, meaning the weather is expected to be extremely dangerous.
There is also a storm warning for the sea, so fishermen and sailors have been told to stay away from the coast.
Officials fear that Kolkata could flood again if the rain does not stop soon.
The meteorological department has confirmed that very heavy rainfall will continue across South Bengal.
This bad weather, or disaster, is expected to last until at least Tuesday.
Local authorities are monitoring the situation and preparing for more flooding.
Residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel during this period.
Vocabulary10 words
- low-pressure area
- a weather system that often brings rain and storms
- Bay of Bengal
- a large sea area near eastern India
- knee-deep
- water high enough to reach the knees
- public transport
- buses, trains, and other shared transport
- red alert
- the highest, most serious weather warning
- storm warning
- a notice telling people a storm is coming
- meteorological department
- the government office that studies weather
- very heavy rainfall
- an extremely large amount of rain
- disaster
- a very bad event that causes serious harm
- standstill
- a complete stop
Quiz
Answer key
1. A low-pressure area near Kolkata 2. It has come to a standstill 3. Fishermen and sailors
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A _____ in the Bay of Bengal has moved close to Kolkata, causing very heavy rain across South Bengal.
This region has been struggling with continuous rain for days, and weather officials warn the situation will not _____ quickly.
Kolkata has been badly affected, with several roads left _____ in water after non-stop rainfall.
_____ in the city has been brought to a standstill, making it hard for people to travel.
A new low-pressure system has also formed over the _____, adding to the region's weather problems.
Because of this, a _____ has been issued, meaning the weather is expected to be extremely dangerous.
There is also a _____ for the sea, so fishermen and sailors have been told to stay away from the coast.
Officials fear that Kolkata could flood again if the rain does not stop soon.
The _____ has confirmed that very heavy rainfall will continue across South Bengal.
This bad weather, or _____, is expected to last until at least Tuesday.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think low-pressure systems cause such heavy rain?
- What problems can happen when public transport stops in a big city?
- How can cities prepare better for sudden flooding?
- Have you ever experienced heavy rain that disrupted daily life? What happened?