Mercury may slide on weekend in Kolkata

KOLKATA: The city will remain dry and sunny on Kali Puja and Diwali on Thursday, said Met officials. Chances of cloud or rain have been ruled out. The maximum temperature, which has been hovering around 31°C mark, may shoot up by a degree on Thursday. The mercury may slide during the weekend, the officials added.
While the city recorded a maximum temperature of 30°C and a minimum of 20°C, the mercury may slide below the 20-degree mark this weekend.
“Monsoon has receded and the mercury will now slide very slowly. We will see a 1-2 degree drop every now and then over the next few weeks,” said Regional Meteorological Centre director, GK Das. Kolkata received almost double the normal volume of rain — 96% above the normal mark — in September even as Gangetic Bengal recorded 31% excess rain so far this monsoon. While the city’s overall rain this monsoon has been 31% above normal, Bengal has received 15% excess rain.