13km cloud column drags temp down to 20.9°C, lowest April min in 5 years
Times of India | 20 April 2025
12 Kolkata: A 13-km-tall cloud column brought in a sharp spell of rain late on Thursday evening, dragging Kolkata's mercury down to the month's lowest on Friday. Both the maximum and minimum temperatures in the city nosedived, offering the much-awaited relief. The Met office has not ruled out more showers, which are expected to keep the harsh heat at bay for now.
Alipore recorded a maximum temperature of 31.2 degrees Celsius on Friday. At 4.4 degrees below the normal mark, the figure was the lowest maximum temperature this April. The minimum temperature recorded was 20.9 degrees Celsius, a drop by almost six degrees from Thursday's 26.8 degrees Celsius. Around 5.2 notches below normal, it was the lowest minimum this month, and also the lowest April minimum temperature in five years. The second lowest minimum temperature this month was 21.4 degrees, which was recorded on April 11.
The highest maximum temperature so far this month was 36.5 degrees Celsius, recorded on April 5. But it was the lowest April maximum temperature in at least one-and-a-half decades.
After a cool start to the day, the city's skies turned dark with grey clouds in the afternoon, but only pockets in some north-eastern parts received some spells of light rain. Unlike Thursday, when widespread rain pounded the city, the Friday showers were restricted to a few pockets, and the intensity, too, was less. Even the cloud column on Friday was not as tall as that of Thursday, said a weather official. Despite the absence of rain, the cloud cover and the gusty winds kept the city cool. According to the Met office, the mercury is likely to rise slightly by Saturday, but both the maximum and minimum temperatures will remain below the normal mark. Many parts of south Bengal districts, however, received spells of rain on Friday, too.
During Thursday's thunderstorm, South 24 Parganas also witnessed gusty winds that blew at a speed up to 67 kmph, followed by 61 kmph in Howrah. In Kolkata, the wind speed was around 40 kmph. Along with gusty winds, places in the city, such as, Ultadanga and Dhapa off EM Bypass, received 51 mm of rainfall in just about an hour and a half, while Salt Lake recorded 53 mm of rainfall. But Alipore received much less rainfall, about 21.2 mm, during the same period.
"There is still a possibility of a spell of showers in Kolkata and other parts of south Bengal, but with lighter intensity," said H R Biswas, head of the weather forecast section at Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata. "The mercury will remain comfortable for at least three days. These nor'wester spells bring only temporary respite from the heat. The heat and humidity will rise again in the dry spell," said a Met official.