Monsoon goes on vacation, for a week

KOLKATA: Barely two days after it hit Kolkata, monsoon has taken a hiatus paving the way for a rise in temperature. Monsoon currents have stalled across the country and the chances of rain are low in Kolkata and the rest of south Bengal for at least a week, the Met office predicted on Wednesday.

Westerly winds have started flowing in, pushing the mercury up. On Wednesday — a day after the city was lashed by a torrential downpour — the maximum temperature reached 36.5°C and the maximum relative humidity touched 95%. In fact, the maximum temperature was higher than the highest recorded in May — considered to be the peak summer month.

“We expect the temperature to be around 36°C this week. Monsoon currents have lost steam and there is little chance of the currents advancing over the next seven days. Since rains have dried up, the temperature is bound to rise,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das. He, however, added that the stalling of monsoon currents was quite common at the onset of monsoon. “Kolkata rarely receives heavy rain in June. July-August is the peak monsoon period in south Bengal. So, there is enough time for rains,” added Das.

Even though monsoon arrived in south Bengal on June 11, some parts of the region are yet to be covered. It normally takes about 10 days from the onset of monsoon for the currents to cover entire south Bengal, said weathermen. The whole state could be covered by monsoon currents by June 20, predicted RMC.

Weather scientists said it was difficult to explain the stalling of monsoon currents. But studying factors like the Madden-Julian Oscillation — an eastward flow of cloud and rainfall in tropical regions that recur every 30-60 days — could help find out the possible time of a monsoon revival. “We are also studying other factors like the possibility of a lowpressure system over the Bay of Bengal. At present, there is none,” a source said.