At 34.7°C, it felt like 42°C, Met predicts dry spell till next wk
Times of India | 30 March 2024
Kolkata: The city was scorched by hot and humid air on Friday, when it felt like 42°Celsius, though the actual maximum temperature was 34.7°Celsius.
Prolonged local heating pushed up the real feel temperature, which is calculated, based on severity of sunlight, humidity, cloud cover and altitude. “Except for an outer chance of a small thundershower, the possibility of rainfall has considerably reduced till next week.Without rain respite, the maximum temperature may climb up to 37° Celsius by the end of next week. As a result of continuous local heating, the days are likely to feel hotter than the actual temperature, for those going outdoors,” said Regional Meteorological Centre director G K Das.
While the summer heat has been creeping into the last few days of March in Kolkata, the IMD has announced a heatwave alert in parts of south India. March in the city is likely to end with near-normal rainfall. Most of March experienced below-normal temperature, including the second lowest March maximum temperature recorded in 54 years on March 21. But the month is likely to end without a single squall or nor’wester, which are typically associated with pre-monsoon weather. The highest wind gust that accompanied a thunderstorm in March so far was 37kmph.
Over the weekend, the maximum and minimum temperature are likely to be 35°C and 28°C, while the real feel maximum temperature is likely to remain close to 40°C. The Met department has predicted a partly cloudy sky on Saturday.