Rain early in the week may make temperature fall: Met

KOLKATA: The city may be lashed by moderately intense rain between Monday and Wednesday, which could follow thunderstorms, the Met office said on Sunday. And this could make the maximum temperature slide. On Sunday, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 32.3°C.

While more than one thunderstorm has been predicted in Kolkata, the rest of Gangetic Bengal, too, could receive moderate to heavy showers.



“While moisture is flowing in from the Bay of Bengal, the rising mercury has heated up the land, creating conditions ideal for thunderstorms. We expect cloud cells to start forming over the next 72 hours, eventually leading to nor’wester-like storms and rain. In Kolkata, the rain could be moderate. It is still too early to predict the intensity of the storm. But several places across Gangetic Bengal will get intense thunderstorms,” said director of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Kolkata, GK Das.

Thunderstorms result from convection that forms cumulus clouds. The main ingredient for cumulus convection is moist air that is warmer, and less dense, than its environment. Once that rising air cools to its saturation point, it forms a cumulus or convective cell, explained Das.

The maximum temperature is expected slide to around 28°C on Monday. “Since the moisture is already flowing in, it will lead to some clouds that will reduce the daytime heat. But the minimum temperature may remain unchanged. As the thunderstorms strike, the maximum temperature could drop again,” added Das.