Century’s Longest Heatwave: Kolkata Faces Record-Breaking Temperatures

The city is expected to endure high temperatures for at least a week, with Kolkata’s maximum temperature forecasted to remain above 40°C for the next two days. This year, 2024, has witnessed the highest number of April heatwave days, with Sunday recording a maximum temperature of 41.3°C, marking the seventh day this month with temperatures exceeding 40°C since the heatwave began on April 19.

Comparatively, April 2009 and April 2016 each had eight days when the maximum temperature reached or exceeded 40°C between 1998 and 2024. Currently, seven out of nine days since the onset of the heatwave have seen temperatures surpassing the 40°C mark this month. The Meteorological Department issued two bulletins on Sunday, stating that the heatwave conditions are likely to persist until at least May 2, with no indication of rainfall in Kolkata until at least May 5. Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) head Somenath Dutta mentioned a slim chance of a thunderstorm in the city between May 5 and 6, which could potentially bring down the temperatures significantly, providing relief from the ongoing heatwave conditions.

Dutta noted, “I have observed an anticlockwise turn in the southerly winds in the Bay of Bengal, which tends to be conducive for thunderstorm activity. While we need a few more days to observe the system, if the trend continues, there may be a mature thunderstorm between May 5 and 6, bringing substantial cold and dry winds, which would, in turn, push the mercury down.”

While Kolkata is on track to break a record for high temperatures this week, April 2024 has already set a record for the highest temperature in 44 years. Last Thursday, the maximum temperature reached 41.6°C, the highest recorded in April since it touched 41.7°C on April 25, 1980. In recent years, the mercury crossed 41°C only seven times – in 2009, 2014, 2016, and 2023. Additionally, this month has already seen three days where the temperature exceeded the 41°C mark.

Dutta added, “Over the last few days, we have been seeing an increasing flow of cool southerly wind from the Bay of Bengal, countering the hot dry northwesterly wind. While this is not sufficient to cause a thunderstorm, its influence curtails the temperature from rising significantly. Most likely, for the next four to five days, the temperature is likely to stagnate rather than increase further.”

Monday is expected to be sunny, with partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain near 41°C and 29°C, respectively.