The city is set to get even warmer in the next five or six days and there is hardly any possibility of rain during the period, the Alipore Met office said on Sunday.
Doctors advised people to avoid going out in the sun and to drink plenty of water. “One can suffer heat stroke if she or he stays out in the sun for a long period during this time. Use umbrellas when you are outdoors,” said a doctor.
Sunday’s maximum temperature was 37 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal. The minimum was 27 degrees, two notches above normal.
Saturday’s maximum was 36.4 degrees, a notch above normal, and minimum was 26.9, two degrees above normal. “The maximum temperature is set to rise further between April 10 and 15. There is hardly any possibility of rain till then,” said Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, Head, Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata, India Meteorological Department.
“There is a possibility of a heat wave but there is no official alert yet,” said an IMD official.
Heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 40 degrees and is at least five degrees higher than normal.
Bandyopadhyay said a maximum temperature of around 36 or 37 degrees is normal around this time of the year. What is unusual this year is the long dry spell, punctuated with only a very few spells of rain.
“There has not been any rain for many days already. And there is unlikely to be any rain till April 15. This is unusual,” he said. “Usually, during this time of the year, it rains after every three or four days. Scorching heat during the day is followed by Nor’westers during the evening, which cools down the weather,” he said.
Doctors suggested that people schedule their work in a way that they can avoid being outdoors for long. Amitabha Saha, head of critical care at AMRI Hospitals, Mukundapur, said one should be careful about drinking water outside.
“Try to carry water from home. Drinking unclean water outside could lead to gastroenteritis. Also, carry umbrella when you are going out,” Saha said. “Staying under sun for long increases the risk of heat stroke.”
Paediatrician Apurba Ghosh said children should be kept away from the sun as far as possible.