Relief from heat as thunderstorm and rain pull mercury down by 7°C

Kolkata: The city got a reprieve from the stifling heat even as a thick cloud cover engulfed Kolkata on Sunday morning, followed by a thunderstorm and multiple spells of rain that pulled the maximum temperature down by seven degrees to 30°C. While the rain brought relief, some pedestrians had a close shave following a lightning strike at Esplanade in the afternoon.
The city may receive light rain on Monday as well and the maximum temperature could remain a few notches below normal for at least a day more, keeping the weather pleasant and the heat at bay, said weathermen.
After a week-long scorching spell during which the maximum temperature had spiralled to 37.4°C on Saturday, Kolkatans woke up to a cool, pleasant morning with the sun firmly behind a cloud cover. Intermittent spells of rain drenched the city with some parts receiving a heavy spell shortly after 12 noon.
Due to trough/wind discontinuity from interior Odisha to north Tamil Nadu, across Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Marathwada and interior Karnataka which extends up to 1.5 km above mean sea level and moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal, enhanced thunderstorm with lightning, gusty winds and light to moderate rain are likely across the districts of south Bengal from April 7 to 10, said a bulletin issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre on Sunday.
Most districts of south Bengal, including West and East Burdwan, West and East Midnapore, Birbhum, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, South and North 24 Parganas, too, received moderate to heavy showers accompanied by thunderstorms. Many places at these districts received showers accompanied by a wind speed of 30-50 kmph.
Since thunderstorms and rain could continue in these areas, RMC has warned that standing crops could be damaged while unsecured structures could collapse. It has also warned against venturing out during a thunderstorm.
The cloud cover over Kolkata narrowed the difference between the day’s maximum and minimum temperatures to three degrees. The cloud cover, though, will start receding slowly from Monday, Kolkata will still remain relatively cool, according to the RMC.