At 37.6°C, city sizzles on hottest day of 2025 so far, no rain in sight
Times of India | 29 March 2025
12 Kolkata: The mercury surged sharply in Kolkata on Friday, clocking 37.6°C, nearly three notches above normal, making it the second-highest March temperature in the past 11 years for the city. In Dum Dum, the mercury touched the 40-degree mark and, in Salt Lake, it was 39.7°C on Friday. The Met office sees no rain for now.
The Met office predicted similar heat conditions for Saturday, with the possibility of both day and night temperatures rising slightly before the mercury starts dipping from Sunday. "The maximum temperature in Kolkata may touch 38°C by Saturday. We can expect it to dip slightly from Sunday, and the maximum temperature could go back to the normal level by Monday or Tuesday and hover around 35°C-36°C," said H R Biswas, head of the weather forecast section at RMC, Kolkata.
In the past 11 years, the March maximum temperature shot past the Friday count only once, in 2021, when the city recorded 39.3°C on the last day of the month. In 2014, the March mercury had come the closest to 40°C, with the city recording a maximum of 39.9°C.
While the mercury has been gradually rising since last Sunday, it consistently stayed below normal for nine days until it started rising past the normal count from Wednesday. However, the deviation from the normal mark in the past two days has been marginal. "Due to the clear sky, there is solar insulation causing much daytime heating, which, in turn, is pushing up the mercury. Adding to it is the low moisture content," Biswas said.
The city is currently getting the dry northwesterly wind. The Met office expects a change in the wind pattern, which will arrest the mercury from rising further by Sunday.
Along with the maximum temperature, the minimum also climbed up to 26.3°C on Friday — 1.7 notches above normal. It could touch 27°C by Saturday. The mercury plunged nine notches below the normal mark on March 22 due to a few spells of thundershowers when Alipore recorded a maximum of 25.5°C. The minimum also stayed below normal for four days, making the nights comfortable till Thursday.
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