Kolkata experienced a sudden squall on Sunday evening, with wind speeds reaching 60 km/hour and gusting up to 64 km/hour, leading to a sharp decline in temperature. The storm was preceded by an unusual period of total darkness as thick cloud cover hung low over the city from around 3 pm. The maximum temperature recorded was 34.6°C, with a maximum relative humidity of 96%. Frequent lightning strikes accompanied the rain and thunderstorm.
Rainfall and Temperature Drop
Kolkata received 19.3 mm of rain on Sunday. While southern parts of the city experienced heavy spells, central and northern Kolkata only saw drizzles. According to Sourish Bandopadhyay, a weather scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, the rain was not very heavy despite the thick cloud cover. It caused a temperature drop of approximately 6°C to 7°C. However, he warned that the relief would be short-lived. Light to moderate rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue in and around Kolkata, but high humidity due to strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal will keep conditions sweaty.
Humidity and Regional Impact
Kolkata's minimum relative humidity on Sunday was 70%. Thunderstorms and lightning also struck parts of Howrah, Hooghly, South and North 24 Parganas, and Nadia. Bandopadhyay noted that these are pre-monsoon thunderstorms that will continue sporadically across south Bengal districts, gradually weakening. However, cloud cover may persist, keeping the scorching heat at bay until the middle of next week. The high moisture incursion will raise humidity, making conditions uncomfortable.
Monsoon Update
The southwest monsoon has advanced further into parts of westcentral and the entire northeast Bay of Bengal, as well as some parts of the northwest Bay of Bengal, entire Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and parts of Tripura, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh as of June 7, according to a bulletin from the Regional Meteorological Centre. Conditions are favorable for the monsoon to advance further into more parts of central Arabian Sea, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, southwest Bay of Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, remaining northeastern states, and parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next 3-4 days.
