Max temp scales past 30°C for first time in three months
Times of India | 21 February 2024
KOLKATA: The mercury shot past the 30 degrees Celsius scale in Kolkata on Tuesday after more than 3 months. At 31 degrees Celsius, the maximum temperature was a notch higher than the normal mark. Met officials also declared that winter was over.
Prior to Tuesday, the last time the city recorded a maximum temperature above 30 degrees was on Nov 15 when it was 30.3 degrees Celsius.The next day, the mercury slipped to 27 degrees Celsius, a remarkable four notches below normal, signalling the arrival of the winter. Since then it has remained below 30 degrees till Tuesday.
"Now, we are already into the late half of Feb. Gradually, it is going to become warmer," said G K Das, director (weather) at Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata.
Last year, the maximum temperature had surged to 34.2 degrees Celsius on Feb 23 while in 2021 Feb, it had soared as high as 36 degrees towards the fag end of the month.
With the maximum temperature cowering below 30 degrees for more than three months, officials said the city had a good winter spell this year. The maximum temperature had slipped as low as 19.2 degrees Celsius on Jan 18 this winter while the minimum had plunged to 11.8 degrees on Jan 23 making it the season's lowest.
On Tuesday, while the maximum temperature soared only a notch above normal, the minimum temperature was four degrees above normal at 23.8 degrees Celsius. Despite the prediction for warm days ahead, Met officials said that the transition will be gradual. The maximum temperature will swing between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius while the minimum will hover around the 22-23°C mark.
"We are now heading towards the nor'wester season. On days when we get thundershowers the mercury will slip a bit but will rise again the next day," said Das.
The Met office has also predicted rain in many districts in both south and north Bengal between Wednesday and Thursday due to an expected western disturbances over eastern India and moisture incursion from the Bay.
"For Kolkata, chances of rain is higher on Thursday," added Das.
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