Max breaches 35°C first time this year, Met predicts further spike

Kolkata: The maximum temperature touched the 35-degree mark in Kolkata on Thursday, making it the highest this month. Though this was only slightly above the normal mark, the high humidity pushed up the discomfort factor, making the real feel higher by four-five degrees. The Met office said the mercury may climb further to reach 36°C-37°C in the next two days.While Alipore recorded 35°C on Thursday, Dum Dum recorded 37.4°C. Salt Lake recorded 36.5°C. In Howrah, it was 37.5°C; West Midnapore's Kalaikunda recorded 39.5°C, the highest across the state.Met officials said since the Alipore weather observatory is situated amidst greenery, the mercury recorded here tends to be a little lower than other parts of the city."In addition to the heat, the humidity remained high throughout the day. The relative maximum and minimum humidity stood at 92% and 49%, respectively," said Met scientist Sourish Bandyopadhyay of RMC, Kolkata.On Thursday, the IMD reiterated its hot and humid weather warning for Kolkata and other districts in Bengal for the next two days. The city is expected to encounter high heat until a rain respite, expected by Sunday."We can expect the maximum temperature to hit 36°C-37°C in the next two days," Bandyopadhyay said.The day temperature was below normal for 19 days at a stretch before Thursday. It dipped to 28.7°C on Tuesday when Kolkata was lashed by a nor'wester the previous night. It started shooting up from Wednesday in the absence of rain.The Met office, however, has spied rain relief by Sunday when Kolkata is expected to encounter another round of thunderstorm activities, including light to moderate rain accompanied by gusty wind."The mercury is likely to climb down from Sunday," Bandyopadhyay said.