KOLKATA: After a two-day break, the maximum temperature in Kolkata breached the 40°C mark on Wednesday again, leaving the city sizzling. The Met office has warned that the situation could get worse with the temperature predicted to inch towards the 42°C mark within the next two-three days. In that case, the city's maximum temperature in April will be the highest in five decades.The heatwave is forecast to last till at least the month end.
Alipore recorded a maximum temperature of 40.5°C on Wednesday. At five notches above the normal mark, this was the second-highest maximum temperature the city recorded this summer. "Kolkata is under a heatwave condition for the second time this month. There is a possibility of the maximum temperature breaching 41°C and climbing to around 42°C towards the end of this month. We see no respite from the heatwave conditions for now," said Sourish Bandyopadhyay, a scientist at Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Kolkata.
"The highest April maximum temperature for Kolkata in the past 50 years is 41.7°C, recorded on April 25, 1980. The highest ever maximum temperature the city has seen is 43.9°C, on June 1,1924," added Bandyopadhyay.
The city has been reeling under intense heat for two weeks now. The mercury had climbed to 40.8°C on April 19. With the temperature remaining above 40°C for the next two days, the city was under heatwave conditions. A partly cloudy sky pushed the mercury below 40°C in the past two days. But with the cloud cover moving away, it shot past the 40°C mark on Wednesday.
"Though we could see some clouding in the next few days, that cloud volume will be too insignificant to shield the city from the scorching sun. There is also no system at present that can arrest the mercury rise. Therefore, the city could be entering its longest heatwave spell," said Bandyopadhyay.
Wednesday was the fourth time the maximum temperature had shot past 40°C. In April 2023, the mercury had touched 40°C or crossed it on five days, with the highest being 41°C, on April 14.
Besides Kolkata, places in Bengal that reported severe heatwave on Wednesday included Barrackpore, Uluberia, Diamond Harbour, Midnapore, Malda, Balurghat, Panagrah, Suri, Canning and Burdwan. The highest maximum temperature was recorded in Panagarh at 42.7°C, followed by Midnapore at 42.5°C and Suri at 42°C.
So far, it has mostly been south Bengal districts that had been affected by a heatwave. The Met office has alerted South and North Dinajpur of a heatwave condition and Malda is already under a heatwave.