Week after cyclone Amphan, Kolkata struck by 96 kmph nor’wester

The squall, known as "Kalbaisakhi" in local parlance, uprooted several trees in some parts of the city, blocking traffic movement.

A nor’wester packing a wind speed of 96 km per hour lashed Kolkata on Wednesday evening, exactly a week after the city was devastated by Cyclone Amphan, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said here.

The squall, known as “Kalbaisakhi” in local parlance, uprooted several trees in some parts of the city, blocking traffic movement. The nor’wester was accompanied by moderate rain, the IMD said.

The regional headquarters of the IMD at Alipore here recorded a maximum wind speed of 96 kmph at 6.23 pm, as the squall passed over the city in the north-northwesterly direction, it said.

The IMD had recorded a maximum wind speed of 114 kmph on May 20, when Amphan struck the city.

With the memory of the devastation caused by the cyclone still fresh in the minds of people, the nor’wester created panic among city dwellers, who are still grappling to get back to normal life.