Rain brings down minimum temp by 3.5 notches in 2 days
Times of India | 18 March 2024
Kolkata: Two moderate spells of rain on consecutive evenings knocked the minimum temperature down three-and-a-half notches to 23° C on Sunday, said the Met department.
The Met office said while the minimum temperature may stagnate, the maximum is likely to drop three to four notches by Wednesday.
Despite the mere 0.6 mm of rainfall recorded at Alipore observatory, and the light drizzles felt in most parts of Kolkata, the nightly shower accompanied by cold gusty winds brought sufficient respite from the rising heat in the beginning of the week.Just before Friday and Saturday’s rain spells, the minimum temperature touched 26.5°C, four notches above normal for mid-March. “Despite the chance of daily rainfall continuing until March 21, the minimum is not likely to fall significantly. Rather the maximum may fall as much as three to four notches by next Wednesday,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director, G K Das. On Sunday, the maximum temperature fell almost two degrees to 30.3° C, four notches below normal for mid-March. By Wednesday, the gap between the maximum and minimum may fall significantly.
The combination of a cyclonic circulation passing over Odisha and moisture incursions from the Bay of Bengal has been facilitating thunderstorm activity in south Bengal. In Kolkata, the chance of nor’wester squalls gusting at 50 to 60 km/hr is likely between March 19 and 21. On Monday, the sky is likely to turn overcast from the evening, with a possibility of a late night thundershower, while the maximum and minimum temperature are likely to be 32° and 24° C respectively.