With the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a rise in mercury levels, Kolkata residents are unlikely to get any respite from the heat over the next few days. On Friday, the maximum temperature in the city was recorded as 34.7 degrees Celsius. The sky remained partly cloudy, with humidity at 91 per cent. Weather department officials said that the temperature is likely to go up by a degree or two on Saturday, along with a rise in the humidity. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph) are expected in parts of Purba Medinipur, Purulia, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Paschim Bardhman, and Birbhum on Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, thunderstorms are expected to occur in most parts of southern Bengal, including districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Kolkata, Hooghly, Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia. Meanwhile, Darjeeling experienced a slight increase in temperature, which had hovered around 9 degrees Celsius throughout the week. On Friday, the minimum and maximum temperature in Darjeeling was 11 degrees Celsius and 17.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. Kalimpong recorded a maximum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. In Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, and Malda, daytime temperatures ranged between 32-34 degrees Celsius. Although temperatures may rise in Darjeeling, rain is expected to persist in the hill district till Tuesday. (Taniya Acherjee is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)
