Mercury at 37.1°C, but it felt like 47°C in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Kolkata continued to reel under intense heat with no sign of a respite over the next 48 hours. Scorching northwesterly winds continue to blow into the city and there is no rain-triggering system yet, said officials at Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). The Met office also sounded a heat-wave alert in Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum. Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 37.1C on Monday.
“Scorching winds are blowing into Gangetic Bengal from north India. The inflow of moisture has turned the conditions humid, making it very uncomfortable. There will be no change in these conditions and the heat and humidity are set to prevail over the next 48 hours,” said deputy director-general, meteorology, Sanjib Bandopadhyay.

Private weather forecasting service AccuWeather said the real feel temperature touched 47°C at 12.30pm on Monday. Real feel is a measure of how the heat actually feels on the skin.
Districts in North 24 Parganas and Hooghly, however, received thunderstorms and moderate rain on Monday, but it didn’t affect a large enough area. “Unless we have a cyclonic circulation, there won’t be a strong enough thunderstorm. Since moisture is flowing into the region, conditions may turn conducive to thunderstorms and rain later in the week,” said a weather scientist.
A little rain had reduced the humidity in city pockets on Sunday. “But the relief will be temporary and the mercury will remain high during the day. A thunderstorm in the evening may not have an impact on the next day’s temperature,” added Bandopadhyay.