Clouds pull max temp down by a notch but heatwave may continue
Times of India | 23 April 2024
Kolkata: Partly cloudy skies and a minor temperature dip brought false hopes of a heatwave break on Monday, but the Met office warned that the near 40° Celsius dry spell is likely to continue till at least Sunday.
With no rain anywhere near the horizon to break the heat, a substantial fall in maximum temperature below Monday’s 39° Celsius in Kolkata is unlikely, while clear and sunny skies from Tuesday onwards may resume the mercury’s upward march over 40° Celsius — after the brief break.
“A lower air trough passing over Chhattisgarh resulted in partly cloudy skies on Monday. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, there may be a small rain event in the districts of Jhargram and East and West Midnapore, but this is unlikely to significantly impact the city’s maximum temperature,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) weatherman Sourish Bandhopadhyay.
Apart from the clouding, another factor contributing to the temperature fall is the reducing strength of dry north and north westerly winds, being replaced with cooler winds over the course of the week, according to head of weather at RMC, H R Biswas. However, despite this slight change in wind patterns, RMC’s Monday bulletin stated that north and northwesterly dry winds and strong solar insolation are likely to continue the heatwave in south Bengal, including Kolkata until at least Friday.
While a rain spell is typically needed to break an April heatwave, the Met office’s weekly forecast shows no sign of rain till at least April 28. Since the last time it rained in Kolkata was on April 7, the city is expected to be in the midst of at least a three-week heatwave, which may possibly extend till May.
Compared to the 0.5 mm of rainfall so far this month against the normal April count of 57.1 mm, the most rain deficient Aprils in recent years was 2022 with 0.2 mm over a single day. 2014 and 2016 also saw only a single day of rain in April.
On Tuesday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain around 39° Celsius and 29° Celsius, respectively.
The minimum temperature climbed to 29.6° Celsius on Monday, making it the fourth such day this month. The minimum temperature is unlikely to significantly fall below this mark for most of the week, said the weather office.