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Calcutta may get some relief from the swelter over the weekend following the development of a weather system that can bring rain in the next 48 hours.
“A trough of low pressure stretches from Bangladesh to Chhattisgarh, passing over Bengal. The phenomenon has resulted in flow of moisture from the Bay and the subsequent cloud formation,” said Gokul Chandra Debnath, director, India Meteorological Department, Alipore.
“The official word is that there is 50 per cent chance of rain in Calcutta in the next two days. If the rain comes, we expect it to be light. Even then every part of the city may not get rain.”
The cloud partially blocked out sunrays, resulting in the maximum temperature coming down by more than a degree from Thursday’s 35.1 degrees to 34 degrees Celsius.
Over the next two days, the maximum is likely to be 33 degrees Celsius.
Friday’s minimum, however, was three degrees above normal at 24.5, and is likely to stay so for now.
The city last received showers — 9.9mm — on February 17. Although a spell of rain may cool things down for the time being, the city would gradually see a rise in temperature, said Debnath.
The humidity, too, is expected to rise. On Friday, the maximum and minimum relative humidity was 93 and 54 per cent, the highest in over a month.
“A minimum relative humidity of 54 per cent, on a day the maximum temperature is in the mid-30s, can be quite serious as it means the water vapour quotient in the air is never less than 54 per cent. This makes for sweaty and uncomfortable weather,” said a weather scientist.
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