Kolkata to remain hot & humid; heatwave alert in 5 districts

KOLKATA: With the cloud cover disappearing from the city sky, Kolkata endured a scorcher on Monday, when the maximum temperature soared to 36.6°C. To make the matter worse, the Met office has issued a heatwave alert for five districts.
Since warm northwesterly winds are blowing in from north India, it will remain humid and uncomfortable for at least three more days, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).A thunderstorm may strike on Thursday, but it could trigger just a short of spell of rain.
“Scorching northwesterly winds are blowing into Gangetic Bengal while the coastal areas have moisture. This combination has made the conditions extremely uncomfortable in Kolkata. Since there has been no rain for several days, the mercury has been rising. There is a possibility of a thunderstorm on Thursday, but it may not pull down the temperature,” said RMC director G K Das.
The western districts of the state have been experiencing a scorching spell as well. On Monday, a heatwave alert was sounded for Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, West Midnapore and Jhargram.
Even though monsoon has arrived in Kerala, it is not likely to reach Bengal within a week. “Monsoon currents aren’t moving and they are unlikely to enter Bengal soon,” Das said.