The Met department on Monday forecast hopes of cooler climes a week ahead with the possibility of rain owing to the possibility of moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, providing a respite from the protracted heatwave conditions prevailing in south Bengal.
Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are very likely to continue in the south Bengal districts for at least five more days, the Met office said.
People are likely to get respite from the prevailing heatwave conditions in the region from May 5 with the possibility of rain in the coastal districts owing to the incursion of moisture from the Bay of Bengal, an IMD official said.
The rain will gradually spread to several of the perched southern districts of the state and continue for at least a few days, he said.
The severe weather conditions in the southern and western districts of West Bengal, caused by dry westerly winds, and strong solar insolation, have caused the state government to advance the summer holidays in schools run or aided by it, while many private educational institutions have either switched to online classes or changed their timings.
The Met office said that severe heatwave conditions will prevail in Bankura, Birbhum, Jhargram, Murshidabad, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman while the other districts in south Bengal will experience heatwave conditions till May 3.
Panagarh in Paschim Bardhaman district recorded the state's highest day temperature at 44.8 degrees Celsius on Monday, 9.2 notches above normal, the Met said.
Kolkata recorded the day's highest temperature at 41.7 deg C, while the mercury hit the 41.6 mark in neighbouring Salt Lake, both six degrees above normal, it said.
The other places which recorded temperatures above 40 deg C are Medinipur (44.5), Bankura (44.2), Bardhaman (42), Asansol (43.5), Purulia (42.3), Jhargram (42), Barrackpore (42.6) and Sriniketan (42.6), the Met data said.
