Poila Baisakh arrived with stifling conditions across Kolkata and much of south Bengal, where temperatures hovered around 35°C on Wednesday afternoon and humidity levels ranged between 62 and 82 per cent at Alipore and Dum Dum stations.
Despite the prevailing heat, changing weather patterns are expected to bring some respite in the coming days.
For Thursday, light to moderate rain is expected across more districts in south Bengal, including North 24 Parganas, which borders Kolkata.
The met office has predicted thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 50–60 kmph are likely, bringing short-term relief from the prevailing heat.
Thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and light to moderate rainfall have also been forecast in several districts including Jhargram, West Midnapore, Birbhum, Murshidabad and East Burdwan.
According to the Met office, an upper air circulation persists at around 0.9 km above sea level over north Bangladesh and adjoining areas.
This, combined with an east–west trough extending from northwest Bihar to Manipur across Gangetic Bengal, is expected to create a favourable wind pattern and draw in moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
This evolving system may trigger thunderstorms in parts of the state while also pushing up humidity levels over the next seven days, meaning any relief may be temporary and localised rather than widespread.
Heat and humidity are expected to remain a constant feature across south Bengal through the remainder of the week, despite intermittent storm activity.
In contrast, the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, along with other parts of north Bengal, are likely to receive light rainfall during the week beginning Wednesday.
Similar conditions are forecast to prevail in Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar — districts set to go to polls on April 23 — until early next week.