Kolkata in heatwave grip as temp vaults past 40°C

KOLKATA: After teetering just under 40°C for three days, the maximum temperature in Kolkata finally crossed the mark on Friday, reaching 40.8°C, officially putting the city under heatwave conditions. In fact, Dum Dum saw the mercury spiralling up to 41.5°C on Friday. The Met office's forecast shows no sign of the mercury reversing its upward march until at least the latter half of next week.

The maximum temperature in Kolkata is likely to climb up to 41°C on Saturday and can remain there until at least Monday, according to the weather office. "There is a slim chance of rain in the south Bengal districts, west of Kolkata, on April 23. The rain may pull the temperature down slightly. Even without rainfall next week, we have observed that the wind conditions are changing gradually and cooler winds may pull the mercury down a notch or two after three-four days," said H R Biswas, head of the weather department at Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).

Last year, the highest April maximum recorded in Kolkata was 41°C. While the temperature is likely to cross that mark, April 2024 may also cross the highest April maximum in the last 24 years, which was 41.3°C in 2016. The highest temperature recorded in the state on Friday was 43.5°C at both Suri and Jhargram.

The maximum temperature in Kolkata has been on a spiral for the last week, with five days in the last six turning recording the highest maximum for the year so far. With Saturday's forecast of 41°C, the trend is not likely to change for at least another day. The minimum temperature, on the other hand, has remained stable between 28°C and 29°C for four consecutive days.

While the minimum is likely to rise slightly to 29°C on Saturday, from 28.3°C on Friday, the week has already seen two days where the minimum was over 29°C. Since 2000, April's minimum temperature has breached 29°C only in 2010, 2016 and 2023. Last April, the minimum was over 29°C on seven days, during a heatwave. However, compared to the maximum, the minimum is more likely to remain stable over the next few days, especially as increasing southerly winds from the Bay of Bengal may neutralize the dry northwesterly winds.

As Kolkata has officially been put on orange alert from Friday till Tuesday, the Met office in its Friday bulletin continued to warn those in south Bengal districts to avoid sun exposure between 11 am and 4 pm and to stay hydrated. For vulnerable groups, like children, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, the advice was to exercise precaution against getting heat stroke, nausea and heat rashes.