After a spell of heavy rain brought relief to Kolkata on Friday afternoon, the city is likely to experience showers on Saturday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting the possibility of thunderstorms and light rain in some areas towards the afternoon and evening.
According to the IMD's local forecast, Kolkata is expected to remain under generally cloudy skies over the next 24 hours.
The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 32˚C and 26˚C, respectively. The city's maximum temperature on Saturday morning was recorded at 34.8˚C, which was 0.3 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 23 degrees Celsius, a significant 4.2 degrees below normal.
The city received 40.5 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours, largely due to the showers that swept through Kolkata and adjoining areas on Friday afternoon. The rain helped keep temperatures in check and prevented the return of the intense summer heat experienced earlier this month.
The IMD's seven-day forecast indicates that Kolkata is likely to continue receiving light rain or thundershowers at one or two places on most days through the coming week.
For Saturday, light to moderate rain or thundershowers are expected at a few places across Kolkata and neighbouring districts, including Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
While no weather warning has been issued for Kolkata, several western districts of south Bengal, including Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram and the two Midnapores, may witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching 50 to 60 kmph.
The broader outlook suggests no major rise in temperatures over the next 24 hours, although daytime temperatures may gradually increase by 2 to 3˚C across Gangetic West Bengal during the following six days.
For now, intermittent rain and cloud cover are expected to keep Kolkata's weather relatively comfortable as the city waits for the arrival of the southwest monsoon.