Kolkata: Purulia at the edge of Chota Nagpur plateau recorded a searing 44.3 degrees Celsius, the highest maximum temperature on Thursday in West Bengal, as its neighbouring districts of Bankura, Jhargram and Paschim Bardhaman also reeled under heatwave conditions, the weather office said.
Purulia's maximum temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius meant a departure of 6.5 degrees above normal, while that of Asansol (42.6 degrees C) in Paschim Bardhaman, Jhargram (42 degrees C) and Bankura (42.4 degrees C) was 4.5 notches above average.
Kolkata recorded the day's maximum temperature at 37.3 degrees Celsius, while the highest relative humidity reached 85 per cent, causing discomfort among the people out at work and students of schools and colleges, the weather office said.
While some private schools in the city have gone back to the online teaching mode, the state government has announced that summer vacation will be advanced owing to the excessive heat.
The weatherman has forecast dry weather to continue over the south Bengal districts till the end of April, while the sub-Himalayan districts in north Bengal are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall in the next two to three days.
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