Kolkata is likely to experience cloudy skies and scattered afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, with the weather office forecasting light rain in some parts of the city later in the day.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s midday bulletin issued on May 22, thunderstorms accompanied by light rain are likely towards the afternoon as moisture-laden winds continue to influence weather conditions over south Bengal.
The maximum temperature in Kolkata is expected to hover around 36 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature may remain close to 28 degrees Celsius.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which was 0.6 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature settled at 29.8 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees above normal, adding to the discomfort caused by high humidity levels. Relative humidity ranged between 67 per cent and 93 per cent during the day.
Several north Bengal districts are to witness heavy showers. Sankosh Tea Estate in Alipurduar recorded 67.4 mm rainfall, while Balurghat in South Dinajpur received 38 mm rain as of Friday morning.
The IMD also issued yellow alerts for parts of Cooch Behar and South Dinajpur on Friday morning, warning of light to moderate thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kmph over the next few hours.
For Kolkata, similar weather conditions are likely to continue through the coming week.
On Saturday, May 23, temperatures are expected to remain between 35 and 28 degrees Celsius with partly cloudy skies and chances of evening rain.
Sunday, May 24, may see a slight dip in daytime temperature to around 34 degrees Celsius.
Between Monday and Wednesday, May 25 to 27, maximum temperatures are likely to hover between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius. The weather office has forecast intermittent cloud cover and isolated evening thunderstorms during this period.