Though there has been no rise in the heat in the past three days, the maximum temperatures still hovers around 38.5 degree Celsius, three degrees above normal. The highest maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius has been recorded at Bankura on Sunday. The temperature on Sunday was only a tad lower than that on April 11 when the mercury had soared to 39 degrees centigrade.

A glance at the temperatures in April in the past three years, 2005 to 2007, reveals that the mercury level had crossed the 38 degree mark only in the last week of April.

The extreme April temperatures surpassing 38.5 degrees centigrade were recorded only on three previous occasions — in the years 1998, 2005 and 2006. According to the Indian Meteorological Department website, April 25, 1954 was the hottest day of April ever, with temperature rising to 43.3 degrees centigrade.

The Met department has predicted a partly cloudy sky over Kolkata with possibility of rain and thundershowers over some places in late evening or night. The possibility of light shower is also there over some places in Gangetic West Bengal.