Kolkata: An intense rain spell along with lightning, thunder and gusty wind pushed the mercury down to its lowest in more than three weeks in Kolkata. The maximum temperature dipped to 32.1 degrees Celsius from 36.8 a day ago while the minimum nosedived to 23.2 degrees from 29.8 degrees. The Alipore Met office has not ruled out more rain till Sunday which will keep heat and humidity at bay for now.Thunderclaps woke up many out of the slumber on Friday morning when the city was lashed by an intense thundershower. In about an hour, the city recorded about 23 mm of rain. The rain along with the gusty wind ensured the mercury to rescind significantly.The minimum temperature plunged four notches below normal, the lowest after May 10 while the maximum temperature dipped 3.1 notches below normal, lowest since May 7.“There is possibility of more rain at least till Saturday, even as the intensity and spread could be lighter than the Friday morning spell. With the mercury likely to remain below normal for now we can expect the heat and humidity tolerable,” said meteorologist HR Biswas, the head at RMC Kolkata.While Kolkata had to be content with 22 mm rain that happened mostly within two hours of the spell, neighbouring Dum Dum was lashed by a heavier spell with the Met office recording 60 mm of rainfall while Salt Lake recorded 41 mm of rain.This rain comes six days after a powerful nor’wester squall lashed the city last week during which the city received a little above 40 mm of rain. While it had checked the rising heat and humidity for the next two days, mercury as well as the moisture content kept rising making the city singe. The maximum temperature had hit as high as 37 degrees, the highest this summer, on Wednesday.The Met office said that dual systems — over East Uttar Pradesh and another one over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & adjoining Bihar — along with favourable wind pattern and strong moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal has kept the rain hope alive for now.“The southwest moon is also expected to hit north Bengal after it covers north east Indian states in the next two to three days,” added Biswas.
