No rain in Kolkata for 60 days at a stretch, first time in 4 decades – Times of India

KOLKATA: The city has now completed its longest dry period in summer — stretching to 60 days — since at least 1980. Since March 1, Kolkata has received almost no rain as the mercury has kept hovering around 38°C and reached the highest of 39.6°C last Sunday. Some parts of Kolkata and Salt Lake, however, received traces of rain on Friday evening, indicating a possible change in weather conditions.
An increase in moisture incursion is expected to turn conditions favourable for the season’s first thunderstorm between May 2 and 4. This is the first time in more than two decades that Kolkata has gone without a thunderstorm or rain in March-April.
Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 36.3°C on Friday. It is expected to remain around 35°C-36°C over the next 48 hours. On Friday afternoon, Kolkata’s real-feel temperature spiralled to 43.
“Moisture incursion has started having an effect, leading to a light drizzle in some parts of Kolkata and the neighbouring districts. But the scorching heat will persist till at least Sunday when a rise in moisture incursion is expected. The incursion has already started. It may weaken the warm westerly winds that are flowing in from northwest India and lead to a circulation over Jharkhand, possibly triggering a thunderstorm. But we expect a marginal drop in temperature from May 1, even before a thunderstorm strikes,” said Regional Meteorological Centre director G K Das.
In 2006, Kolkata had a rainless period stretching to 44 days between March 1 and April 13. A decade later, in 2016, Kolkata had received a thunderstorm on April 1 that led to a dry period that lasted till May 4.
But there hasn’t been a rainless March-April in the last two decades and more in Kolkata, though thunderstorms have often been few and precipitation low, said the Met office. “It is unusual and has not happened since at least 1980. The reason behind this is low moisture incursion while northwesterly winds have been very strong this year. The latter has cut off the western disturbances that form across north India and help trigger thunderstorms in Kolkata and Bengal,” said Das.
Some districts of south Bengal, however, received thunderstorms and rain on Friday evening. East Burdwan was struck by a thunderstorm with gusty wind at 40-50km/hr, accompanied by light to moderate rain. Murshidabad and Nadia, too, were lashed by thunderstorms. “While moisture incursion has started, a low-pressure trough between Uttar Pradesh and north Bengal helped generate the storms. As the incursion continues, thunderstorms are expected further south, including Kolkata,” added Das.