Kolkata: Brace for warmer days as both the day and night temperatures are expected to start rising by the weekend, when the maximum temperature is expected to breach the 30°C mark in Kolkata. The minimum temperature will also see a gradual rise in the next couple of days, said the Met office.
The maximum temperature, which has been in the 20s in the past eight days, climbed to 30°C on Thursday. While this was still 1.6°C below the normal mark, it is expected to climb further by two to three notches by the weekend, reaching 32°C-33°C. The minimum temperature, which stood at 20.2°C on Thursday, could rise by three to four degrees.
"We are about to enter March. Therefore, there will be warmer days. Climatologically, we can expect the mercury to start rising gradually. The maximum temperature has been below the normal mark for the past few days. Hence, if it rises even by 2°C and remains around the normal mark, it will make people feel warmer," said H R Biswas, head of the weather forecast section at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata.
Even as the highest maximum temperature this month touched only 30.8°C on Feb 17 and 18, it remained in the 20s on 23 out of the 27 days. The lowest minimum temperature this month was 15.1°C, on Feb 9. While the maximum temperature was below the normal mark for the past nine days, the minimum temperature was above normal for six days before it dropped to 20.2°C on Thursday, around the normal mark.
Met officials said the city sky has been partially cloudy due to the impact of a western disturbance. This partial cloud cover is one of the reasons that has prevented the day temperature from shooting up.
"The clouds are at a significant height and hence cannot trigger rain. The rain-bearing clouds are usually at a lower height. Hence, there is no rain threat despite the partly cloudy sky. Once the western disturbance passes, the clouds will also start disappearing, giving way to the sun. That is when the mercury will start rising," added Biswas.