Heat wave alert till June 7; third warning this summer

This is something that Met officials said was unprecedented in recent memory

(Clockwise) Pedestrians on Queensway buy ice cream on Thursday afternoon; A commuter drinks lassi on Sarat Bose Road on Thursday; Drivers rest in cars parked under trees on the Maidan; Pedestrians use umbrellas to shield themselves from the afternoon sun in Esplanade: Pictures by Gautam Bose

DEBRAJ MITRA | TT  |  02.06.23 : Brace yourselves for another long spell of scorching conditions, the Met office warned on Thursday. 

A heat wave alert for Bengal from June 1 to 7 was issued on Thursday afternoon.

This is the third heat wave this summer, something that Met officials said was unprecedented in recent memory.

“Mainly dry westerly wind is prevailing over the region. Meteorological conditions suggest that heat wave conditions and hot and discomfort weather (sic) is likely to prevail over the districts of West Bengal during June 1 to 7,” said a Met bulletin issued on Thursday afternoon.

The bulletin advised against “prolonged heat exposure”. People should wear light clothes and drink sufficient water, it said.

“Recognise the signs of heat stroke or heat cramps such as weakness, dizziness, headache and nausea,” it said. 

Heat wave is declared when the mercury breaches the 40-degree mark and the maximum temperature is at least five notches above normal, said a Met official.

On Thursday, the Met office recorded a maximum temperature of 38.6 degrees Celsius in Alipore, which serves as the official record of Kolkata. It was a couple of notches above normal.

Met officials said the Celsius in Kolkata is likely to knock on the doors of 40 degrees in the coming days. Salt Lake, Dum Dum and Barrackpore might see the Celsius breach the 40-degree mark. 

The conditions in Kolkata are not going to be much different than the places reeling under heat wave. However, a formal declaration from the Met office will come only if the maximum temperature at Alipore touches 40 degrees. 

If the city was hot, the districts were sizzling. Murshidabad recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius. Purulia saw the Celsius soar to 41.3 degrees. Bankura, Burdwan, Nadia and Birbhum also saw the mercury touch the 40-degree mark on Thursday.

Roads in Kolkata were mostly deserted on Thursday afternoon. Around 2pm, a bunch of people were walking along the pavement of the Esplanade-bound flank of JL Nehru Road with their faces covered by gamchha. 

Thirty minutes ago, the Maidan was found deserted, too, barring a few shaded spots under trees. 

Sayantan Aadak, 31, had booked an app-bike from New Alipore to Tollygunge Phari around 2.30pm. “I was wearing a helmet and it felt like I had blisters all over,” the New Alipore resident said. 

The season’s first heat wave started mid-April and lasted over a week. The second was triggered by Cyclone Mocha on the Bay. The storm turned the sea into a low-pressure area, drawing hot and dry winds from the land. On their way to the sea, the winds pushed the Celsius up.

Met officials could not readily remember when was the last time Bengal witnessed three heat waves in one summer.

Environment activists have dubbed the heat waves and associated prolonged dry spells to extreme weather events triggered by climate change. 

“Extreme weather events are happening more frequently than before, maybe because of climate change. The variability has gone up. But data from one year or two years cannot be conclusive. This needs extensive research. But climate change can no longer be ignored as a theory. The effects are very much here,” said G.K. Das, director of the India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.

The onset of the monsoon can bring relief from the heat wave. June 8 is the usual monsoon arrival date in Kolkata. But Met officials in Kolkata said it is still too early to predict when the monsoon winds will reach south Bengal this year.

In the Indian mainland, the monsoon’s arrival in Kerala is followed by its northward surge. The usual date of its arrival in Kerala is June 1. But this year, Met officials have predicted a delay of three to four days.

“The monsoon usually takes around seven to 10 days to reach Kolkata after reaching Kerala,” said a Met official.