Kolkata scorches under sudden heat wave

Kolkata: The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore has predicted a heat wave warning for the city and some of the South Bengal districts for the next 48 hours.

The traditional hot belt of Bankura, Purulia and some parts of Burdwan are likely to see a further rise in temperature, the weather office said. The discomfort level may prevail over the next two days.

A weather expert said scorching westerly winds from the Northern states are bringing the heat wave conditions into the state. The impact of the westerly winds is so high that the monsoon currents have been stalled. Kolkata has not recorded such warm days during this part of the year even after the onset of monsoon. This is considered to be a significant change in the usual weather pattern of the region, an official of the MeT department said.

The scorching westerly winds are blowing from these regions because the rains are yet to reach there. Due to the monsoon currents getting stalled, the condition remains dry. According to the weather office, the temperature in some of the South Bengal districts will hover around 40 degree Celsius. The relative humidity will also remain over 80 percent, a weather official said.

The weather office also mentioned that due to weak monsoon flow and prevailing strong west to north-westerly winds in low levels, moderate heat wave condition is likely to prevail over the districts of South Bengal including Kolkata for the next two days. However, there is a forecast of rain in the North Bengal districts. Doctors have advised adequate consumption of water and asked people not to go out in the sun without adequate protection.