Parched Kolkata experienced heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning on Monday evening. The mercury in Kolkata had dropped to 36°C since Sunday after nearly a month of 40-plus temperatures and heatwave condition.
The thermometer read 35.4°C on Monday afternoon but 81 per cent humidity caused some discomfort till the skies opened up around 8pm.
The sky was partly cloudy since morning, bringing hopes of rain and relief. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted high chances of thundershowers with gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50kmph in the city from May 6.
Thundersquall with wind speed 60-70 kmph along with light to moderate rain and lightning very likely to continue over some parts of East Midnapore, Howrah and Kolkata districts during next 2-3 hours from 8.10pm on Monday
The showers can be attributed to a formation of cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand that lies at 0.9km above mean sea level. A trough runs from above cyclonic circulation over south Jharkhand to the west of Madhya Pradesh at 0.9km above mean sea level. Under this favourable synoptic condition and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, there are high chances of thunderstorms with lightning along with gusty winds and thunder squalls from Monday in the districts of West Bengal.
Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Birbhum, Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Bankura and Nadia received light to moderate rainfall. Some of these places experienced thunderstorms with lightning. A thunder squail was reported from Purulia around 4.30pm, with wind speed touching 60-70kmph with moderate rain. Short spells were reported in several parts of Kolkata and Howrah towards Monday evening with lightning.
While Kolkatans keep their fingers crossed for some showers, the substantial drop in temperature ushered some relief. The temperature last Monday (April 29) was around 41°C, 6°C more than the recorded maximum temperature on May 6. The temperature dropped from the 40-degree-mark on Saturday with 39.2°C. Last week on Tuesday (April 30) and Wednesday (May 1), the temperature was the highest touching 43°C, marking the hottest April day in 50 years.
Kolkata Cloud Chasers, a group of independent weathermen, has posted a chart predicting chances of storms in Kolkata in the coming week.
As rain is expected to usher in relief, IMD has stated a few precautions to be taken during thunderstorms accompanied by lightning:
- Take shelter in a safe place during thunderstorms
- Avoid taking shelter under tree/electric pole and avoid contact with water bodies
- Movement of traffic may be regulated judiciously during thunderstorms