The relief brought by the long-awaited showers vanished as the city remained hot and sweaty throughout Tuesday.
For much of the recent spell of heat wave, the humidity level was unusually low in Kolkata, resulting in dry heat and a burning sensation.
On Tuesday, the very system that brought the rainfall tormented Kolkatans with a rise in the humidity level. The minimum relative humidity, which had been around 20-25 per cent for the better part of the heat wave, was 50 per cent on Tuesday.
The Met office recorded a maximum temperature of 33.7 degrees in Alipore on Tuesday. It was still two notches below normal. “Despite the temperature staying below normal, the discomfort level remained high because of the high humidity,” a weather scientist said.
The relative humidity stayed in the 50-60 per cent range throughout the afternoon. Around 2.15 pm, the website of AccuWeather, a US-based forecasting agency, showed the temperature to be around 33 degrees and the Real Feel at a staggering 47 degrees Celsius.
The real feel temperature — which is felt by the body — is calculated by taking into account humidity, cloud cover, winds, and sun intensity and angle, among other parameters.
In the afternoon, most pedestrians were seen with an umbrella. Women wrapped themselves up with scarves and dupattas.
The Met office said Thursday is most likely to see another round of thundershowers in Kolkata. But like typical summers in the city, the conditions will be uncomfortable when there is no rain.
“A cyclonic circulation that was over the Jharkhand border a day ago has now moved westwards. It is still drawing moisture from the Bay, leading to the formation of rain-bearing clouds. But the clouds are causing sporadic thundershowers over Jharkhand and Odisha,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
“The system is expected to move east again. Under its influence, Kolkata is expected to get another round of showers. While there is a slim chance on Wednesday, the prospects are brighter on Thursday,” said Das.
The high moisture quotient and rain in the nearby districts will keep the Celsius under control in Kolkata, even without rain, he said. “But the discomfort index is going to be high,” he said.