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| (Top) A girl walks along a wet city street on a rainy day, while (above) a group of girls blocks out the scorching sun with umbrellas on a hot day. Pictures by UB Photos |
Aug. 10: The rains have arrived but without the accompanying relief.
In fact, the high humidity has made things worse and residents of the city are having a tough time coping with the weather.
The weatherman said the gradual reduction of greenery in and around the city was one of the reasons behind the rising mercury and the wind from the Bay of Bengal, which carries water vapour towards the Northeast, was behind the high humidity.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius today, which is normal and the minimum temperature stood at 25.5 degrees Celsius, which is one degree below normal. A total of 0.7mm of rain was recorded till 2.30 pm today. Humidity was at 81 per cent in the morning, which increased to 84 per cent by evening.
Yesterday was unbearably stuffy during the day but the rain made things a little more comfortable in the afternoon, making it possible for people to venture outdoors without having to shield themselves from the sun.
Since June 1, the Kamrup (metro) district has received 779.2mm of rain this year, which means a deficit of 1 per cent. But, during the same period, Kamrup district has received 41 per cent extra rainfall.
“It is normal for the temperature to rise during summer. But, at this time wind blows from the Bay of Bengal towards the Northeast, including the city. This wind carries a lot of water vapour particles. Also, the high temperature increases the air’s capacity to hold moisture, as a result of which they condense on dust particles in the atmosphere. The water vapour present locally combined with this wind raises the humidity level by several notches. This is the factor behind the hot and humid weather,” said Sanjay ’Neil Shaw, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre.
“The weather is more stifling inside the city, because the green cover and open spaces are fast being replaced with concrete buildings. Concrete buildings not only absorb and trap solar heat, but also radiate it,” said Shaw.
In the meantime, people can look forward to more rain as long as this heat persists.
“It is so uncomfortable to move around during the day. The humidity is so high that one starts perspiring as soon as one sets foot outdoors. I had recently gone to Jagiroad and halfway there the air-conditioner inside the car stopped working, owing to which the heat became unbearable. We couldn’t even roll down the windows because it was so dusty. I hope more rain occurs in the next few days,” said Anil Hazarika, a resident.
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