‘Mercury to go up by 5 degrees in next 5 days’

Kolkata: The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore has predicted that the mercury will go up by 5 degrees in the next 5 days in South Bengal. Hot weather is likely to prevail. The highest temperature in western districts is to again cross 40 degrees.

Kolkata registered the lowest temperature of the day at 27.8 degree Celsius on Tuesday while the highest temperature was recorded at 34.2 degree Celsius. A western disturbance will enter

Western parts of the country on May 17. A low pressure has formed in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam and Karnataka.

In another significant development, the southwest monsoon is likely to enter the country early as it is expected to advance into the South Andaman Sea on May 19. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the southwest monsoon is likely to advance into the South Andaman Sea region by the end of this week. If realised, this would make a timely onset of the monsoon over Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood areas.

“The southwest monsoon is likely to advance into the South Andaman Sea, some parts of the Bay of Bengal, and the Nicobar Islands around May 19,” the weather office said. The normal date for the monsoon onset over Kerala is June 1.

India receives over 70 per cent of its annual rainfall during the June to September months, and the monsoon is crucial for an agrarian country like India.