The surge of the Celsius continued in Kolkata on Friday and the Met office offered no hope from the heat wave conditions.
The maximum temperature recorded in the Alipore Met office, which serves as the official record for Kolkata, was 41 degrees, a whopping five degrees above normal.
The consistent heat wave conditions prevalent this year have not been witnessed in Kolkata since April 2016, according to Met records.
On April 24 last year, the maximum temperature in Alipore was 39.6 degrees. On that day, the Celsius touched 40 degrees on the northern fringes of Kolkata.
On seven days in April 2016, the Celsius touched the 40-degree mark in Kolkata (see chart).
“When a heat wave starts, it usually lasts for a few days. Kolkata saw that in 2016. This year, the conditions are similar. There is very little chance of any change in the next few days,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
The mercury was well over 40 degrees in several districts, with Bankura, sizzling at 42.7 degrees, being the hottest.
At 42.1 degrees, Salt Lake was not far behind.
Friday was a government holiday and the roads looked more deserted than the past two days.
The blistering conditions have dealt a blow to Poila Baishakh and Id shoppers.
Around 1pm, Gariahat resembled a city shut down by strikers. Despite a holiday, the pavements dotted by hawkers had only a few shoppers.
“I have hardly sold anything. I don’t blame shoppers. Risk stepping out in this heat and you might take ill," said Bappa Das, who sells bags.
Most of the hawkers said the footfall has been dismal till sundown. Zakaria Street in central Kolkata, home to the busiest Ramazan market in the city, was no different.
“People are coming but nothing like previous years," said a man selling kurtas near Nakhoda Masjid.
The low moisture level in the atmosphere, which Met officials said was the “strikingly unusual” feature of this summer so far, has been the main hurdle for thunderstorms.
Das of the IMD said there was no relief in near sight.
“Usually, a high-pressure zone takes shape over the Bay of Bengal if the temperature soars. But so far, there has been nothing. There is a faint possibility of a high-pressure zone taking shape over the south Bay of Bengal in a few days. But any resultant moisture incursion, and consequent rainfall, is likely in Odisha,” he said.
A system over the north Bay of Bengal is more likely to cause rain in Kolkata, he said.