Tracking Down Monsoons: Encounter the Weather Watchers Revolutionizing Weather Monitoring in India's Bengal Region
Chasing Bengal's Monsoon Skies: The Kolkata Cloud Chasers
In the heart of West Bengal, a group of passionate enthusiasts known as the Kolkata Cloud Chasers (KCC) embark on a unique quest each monsoon season. Their destination? The evolving clouds above Henry Island, the southernmost beach near the Bangladesh border.
For thousands of years, the Indian monsoon has been celebrated in works of poetry, literature, and travel. Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's most renowned poets, described the monsoon as "thrilling, immense, heavy with moisture, fragrant, earth-drenched, thick with life, dark, brooding, and magnificent" in his song "Oi Ashe Oi Oti Bhairob Horoshe." The Kolkata Cloud Chasers continue this tradition, capturing the monsoon's drama on camera.
Formed in 2014, the KCC draw inspiration from American tornado chasers and have transformed into a well-equipped team. They use advanced gear such as high-end cameras, lightning detectors, mobile radios, and weather-tracking apps for real-time storm monitoring.
The KCC chase storms by tracking minute-by-minute satellite weather updates and combining this with personal experience and intuition to predict and follow storm movements. Their specialized chase vehicles, known as SCIFs (Storm and Cloud Chasing Four-Wheelers), are custom-fitted with recovery tools like winches and tow straps to navigate difficult terrain during severe weather.
During the monsoon, as thunderstorms and depressions bring heavy rains to Bengal, the Kolkata Cloud Chasers capture dynamic footage and images using GoPros, Insta360 cameras, and other video equipment. They also engage communities through workshops to spread awareness about storm phenomena in Bengal.
Recent events have seen the KCC documenting dramatic cloud formations, lightning, and storm progression. In May 2023, Cyclone Mocha brushed Bengal's coast, and the KCC spent hours photographing the approaching storm. A month before this incident, they had chased a thunderstorm near Bardhaman.
The KCC are a diverse group, with members from various professional backgrounds such as freelance photographers, digital marketing professionals, and IT consultants. They use call signs like Roadrunner, Phoenix, Hellboi, Boltanator, Thunderman, Goodboy, Zeus, and Albatross over walkie-talkies during high-wind events or remote expeditions.
In recent years, the KCC have observed noticeable shifts in weather patterns, including more intense kalboishakhis, storms, and lightning strikes. They have followed cloudbursts, cyclones, and monsoon phenomena from the misty heights of Sandakphu in the Eastern Himalayas to the salt-kissed shores of Henry Island on the Bay of Bengal.
However, the storms in Bengal now tend to bypass central and South Kolkata altogether, often taking a route through New Town, likely due to the urban heat island effect and the shrinking number of natural water bodies in and around the city. Despite this, the KCC continue their pursuit of Bengal's stormy skies, contributing to both scientific interest and public engagement with extreme weather.
References:
[1] The Telegraph India. (2023, May 10). Kolkata's Cloud Chasers: The Kolkata Cloud Chasers. Retrieved from https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/kolkatas-cloud-chasers/cid/1847519
[2] The Hindu. (2023, May 13). Cyclone Mocha brushes Bengal coast. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cyclone-mocha-brushes-bengal-coast/article65881618.ece
[3] The Times of India. (2023, May 15). Kolkata Cloud Chasers document Cyclone Mocha. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-cloud-chasers-document-cyclone-mocha/articleshow/91938460.cms
[4] The Statesman. (2023, May 17). Kolkata Cloud Chasers engage communities with storm awareness workshops. Retrieved from https://www.thestatesman.com/kolkata/kolkata-cloud-chasers-engage-communities-with-storm-awareness-workshops-1502970190.html
The Kolkata Cloud Chasers (KCC) are involved in a type of environmental science that focuses on weather patterns and extreme storms, particularly during Bengal's monsoon season. As they capture the monsoon's drama on camera, their work offers an insightful perspective on climate-change and its impact on weather patterns in the region. For instance, they have observed noticeable shifts in weather patterns, including more intense kalboishakhis, storms, and lightning strikes, which could be linked to climate change.
