Kolkata: The season’s first scorching spell was broken by cloud cover and an afternoon thunderstorm in Kolkata on Sunday that brought relief from the sweltering heat by pulling the mercury down six notches. While the cloud cover shielded the sun even as the city received repeated drizzles throughout the day, the maximum temperature plunged to 30.8°C. The minimum, however, rose marginally to 27.7°C.After a warm spell that saw the mercury shoot up to 36.1°C on Saturday, Kolkatans woke up to a gloomy sky and a light drizzle that toned down the heat. The relief will persist till April 9, said the Regional Meteorological Centre, which predicted more cloudy days and thunderstorms in the city and across south Bengal.A low-pressure trough that stretched from Bengal to Telangana via Chhattisgarh triggered the clouds and the thunderstorms across south Bengal. “This was supplemented by a favourable wind pattern that will persist for the next four days. The winds are carrying in moisture from the sea, turning the conditions favourable for thunderstorms and rain across south Bengal,” said RMC weather scientist Sourish Bandopadhyay.Even as the trough persists, a new system may emerge in the region that will help trigger fresh clouds and thunderstorms over the next four days, said deputy director-general of meteorology HR Biswas. “Scattered thunderstorms occurred across the districts of south Bengal on Sunday. Some parts of Kolkata received a thunderstorm, but it was not uniform across the city. Since conditions remain favourable, we expect more severe thunderstorms between Tuesday and Thursday that will affect a wider part of Kolkata. The rain, too, could be heavier,” said Biswas.Temperature is expected to remain below the normal mark for most part of the week. As the cloud cover continues to trigger thunderstorms, both maximum and minimum temperatures will remain low. “The weather should be pleasant over the next four days,” said Bandopadhyay.An orange alert has been issued for most districts in south and north Bengal for Wednesday and Thursday. An orange alert is a warning of ‘extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and rail closures, and interruption of power supply’. The period could see sporadic rain, thunderstorms and hailstorms, said an RMC bulletin on Sunday. Some areas could receive heavy rain, it said.On Saturday, the maximum temperature in Kolkata spiralled to 36.1°C — the highest recorded so far this season. A day earlier, the maximum was 36°C. Along with heat, the presence of moisture has been significant in the region, causing an ‘instability’ that will create conditions conducive for thunderstorms and rain. A powerful western disturbance is also expected to cause rainfall in some western and northern states, along with hailstorms and snowfall.
