Kolkata, Feb 28 (IANS): The West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education announced 15-minute grace time for students who struggled to reach their examination centres as large parts of the city and various districts of West Bengal were witnessed heavy rain on Thursday.

The class XII examination that was to get over by 1.15 p.m. was extended till 1.30 p.m. for the day as the state higher secondary education authorities received several distress calls.

In Kolkata, areas like Chittaranjan Avenue, M.G. Road saw waterlogging due to rain in the early hours. The city has received 68.2 mm rain, while the Dumdum area alone recorded 89.8 mm since morning.

The Regional Meteorological Centre predicted thunderstorm accompanied with hail, lightning, gusty wind here, and moderate rain for Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimgpong, Aliporeduar, Coochbehar districts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal during the day.

The maximum temperature in Kolkata was 27.4 degree Celsius, while the minimum was around 18.6 degree.

The Met said the weather was likely to improve from Thursday evening onwards.