West Bengal hit by heat and humidity, one dead

Hot and humid conditions hit life across West Bengal today with several places recording over 40 degrees Celsius and reports of a person dead due to the rough weather.
The alleged heat deaths went up to three with a 52-year-old taxi driver dying in the city during the day. The two other deaths were reported yesterday from Barrackpore in adjoining North 24 Parganas district and in the city.
Normal life was hit throughout the state. The industrial town of Asansol in Burdwan district recorded the highest temperature at 43.8 degree.
Sriniketan in Birbhum district recorded 43.1 degrees followed by Bankura 42.6 degrees, Baharampur 41 degrees, Burdwan 39.8 degrees and Malda 37.8 degrees celsius, an IMD report said.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 37.7 degree Celsius, one degree above normal while the minimum temperature was four degrees above normal at 29.8 degree, Met official Manishankar Jana told PTI.
The maximum humidity recorded in the city was 83 per cent and the minimum was 61 per cent, he added.

A heat wave warning has been issued for Purulia, Bankura, Burdwan, Birbhum, Paschim Midnapore and Hooghly districts, he said adding there is little chance of the state receiving any rainfall in the next couple of days.
"As of now there is no chance of rainfall in the state for another two to three days' time. There is no depression in the Gangetic plains or Bay of Bengal or nearby to cause rain in the region," he said.

As per this year's trend, monsoon would set in West Bengal by June 8.
On chances of the city facing any heat wave like condition, Jana said "Because of the presence of southwesterly winds on the Bay of Bengal, there is no threat for Kolkata to come under heat wave condition."
"But the northwesterly wind is bringing in hot and dry winds from north India creating heat wave in the western part of the state," he added.