After months of dusty days, Kolkata finally woke up to rain, offering the city a brief respite from an extended dry spell. Light showers were recorded on February 24, with 6.3mm of rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin.
The minimum temperature on Tuesday settled at 19.2°C, 0.3 degrees below normal, while the maximum touched 31.2°C, slightly above normal by 0.7 degrees. Relative humidity ranged between 50 per cent and 100 per cent, adding to the damp feel throughout the morning.
The IMD’s midday forecast for the next 24 hours indicates a generally cloudy sky with light rain or thunder showers likely to occur. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover between 25°C and 19°C, respectively.
For Kolkata and several adjoining districts, including Howrah, Hooghly and North and South 24 Parganas, light to moderate rain or thundershower is likely at a few places till Wednesday morning. A thunderstorm with lightning accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kmph is very likely at one or two places, the bulletin said.
However, the wet spell may be brief. From Thursday onwards, dry weather is most likely to prevail across south Bengal districts for the rest of the week, with no large change in temperatures over the next four days.
