Met extends no-rain pain till early next wk, says no system in sight
Times of India | 24 April 2024
Kolkata: With the scorching sun remaining partly covered by clouds, the mercury stayed a notch below 40°C in Kolkata on Tuesday but with no rain for at least another week on Met radar, brace for another spell of heatwave, when the mercury is likely to shoot past 40°C by Thursday.
Alipore recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1°C on Tuesday, which was three notches above normal.After a gruelling three days of heatwave, the mercury had receded to 39°C on Monday. While the temperature rise on Tuesday was not significant, the mercury is expected to reach 40°C and the city is likely to be hit by another heat spell.
With no system to arrest the mercury surge, the maximum temperature could even breach the 41°C mark by Sunday or Monday.
“There are no systems that will bring rain respite to the city for at least a week. The cloud cover will start receding from Wednesday, paving the way for the mercury to rise again. By Thursday, the maximum temperature is likely to go up further and reach around 41°C. If that happens, Kolkata will reel under another heatwave,” said Sourish Bandyopadhyay, scientist D at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata. In 2023, the maximum temperature breached the 40°C mark on five days.
For the past few weeks, moist wind has stopped flowing in from the Bay. The city currently is getting dry westerly to northwesterly wind at the lower level, which is responsible for the loo-like feeling. The cloud cover in the past two days, which pushed the mercury down slightly, was due to divergence in the upper air.
“Thundershowers and nor’westers are the systems that arrest temperature from rising in Kolkata. Under normal conditions, on an average Kolkata should get nor’wester spells on two days and should have seven thundershower days. But this April, we have had one rainy day,” added Bandyopadhyay.
The only day Kolkata received rain this month was on April 7, when Alipore recorded a rainfall of just 0.5mm.
Though the Met office has predicted light rain in parts of Purulia and Jhargram — which are reeling under intense heat — it will be too insignificant to bring relief to the parched districts. Kolkata and parts of southern and western districts will continue to get dry westerly or northwesterly wind at lower levels along with strong solar insolation.