KOLKATA: The city had the coolest May in at least five years, with the mercury staying below 36°C for the entire month. The highest temperature recorded last month was 35.4°C, which is almost 3°C less than the maximum temperature — 38.1°C — of May 2015. The latter had been the lowest in May since 2014. Meteorologists pointed out that frequent squalls and thunderstorms in Kolkata and across the region helped to prevent the spiralling of mercury.
While the maximum temperature had crossed 37°C twice in April, it didn’t touch 36°C in May. “It should have been the reverse, but rainfall throughout the month changed the trend. While the city had received six squalls in April, three lashed Kolkata in May. That apart, we had at least three thunderstorms. Since these occurred at regular intervals, excessive heating and radiation from land was prevented,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (
RMC) director GK Das.
In May 2014, Kolkata had recorded a highest maximum temperature of 41.4°C while a year later, it had dropped to 38.1°C. In 2016, the highest May temperature was 40.1°C and in 2017, it dropped to 38.6°C. The average temperature recorded during the month was higher in all previous five years. But it was not just Kolkata that had a pleasant May. The entire eastern region experienced lower temperatures. No heat wave was reported from anywhere in the region, which is a rarity, said weathermen.
“Even the western districts of the state — Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum — which generally get very high temperatures in May due to their proximity to the Chhotanagpur plateau region, remained cooler. These districts had lower than normal temperatures during the course of the month. The main reason was the regular thunderstorms and rainfall. Unless you have a sustained scorching spell, maximum temperature can’t spiral,” explained Das.
There were enough indications to suggest that
weather is changing across the country, not just south
Bengal, according to an environmentalist and former forest department official. “We now have multiple low-pressure pockets in the region which is bad for the weather. Previously, it would be just the Chhotanagpur plateau that triggered thunderstorms. Now, moisture is being pulled in many directions, preventing the formation of thunderclouds,” he said.
