The Celsius dropped on Thursday but the city still felt like a pressure cooker
because of high humidity.

The Met office offered hope. A wet spell is expected to bring relief from the sultry conditions over the weekend.

Thunderstorms are expected across Bengal from Saturday, a Met bulletin said.

In Calcutta, they are most likely on Sunday and Monday, said a Met official.

“Mainly dry westerly to north westerly winds are very likely to prevail over the region and consequently heat wave and hot and humid conditions are very likely to occur over Bengal upto April 26. Thereafter, the wind pattern is very likely to change from April 26. Due to a favourable wind pattern and moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, moderate to severe thunderstorm activity is likely to commence from April 26
afternoon over some districts,” said the bulletin.

Rain, accompanied by strong gusts of wind, is expected across the state from April 26 to 28.

In south Bengal, Jhargram, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Birbhum, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas are among the districts where the wind and rain are likely to be most potent, according to the forecast.

Districts like Purulia, Jhargram and West Midnapore saw the Celsius breach the 40-degree mark on Thursday. The western districts of south Bengal are already under the grip of a heatwave.

In Calcutta, the maximum temperature dropped to 35.4 degrees on Thursday. On Wednesday, it had soared to 38.2 degrees, making it the season’s hottest day. A Met official attributed the slide to a rise in the moisture content in the air.

On Thursday, the minimum relative humidity was a staggering 61 per cent. The result — the discomfort index was more than the day before.

Around 1.45pm on Thursday, the temperature was around 35 degrees. But the high humidity meant the RealFeel was around 45 degrees.

“There was enough heat and enough humidity. But there was no rain because the humidity was near the surface of the earth. There was no cloud convergence in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The moisture was confined to the coastal areas. In the districts, dry winds were dominant,” said H.R. Biswas, head of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore.

“From Saturday, the southerly winds from the Bay are likely to make an impact. The earth is already heated. Together, the heat and humidity are expected to help in the creation of tall, rain-bearing thunderclouds,” he said.