An orange alert has been issued for North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Kolkata, Hooghly, Purulia, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda, Nadia, and Kolkata, which recorded a maximum of 40 degree Celsius on Friday.

According to the Met Department, the abnormally high maximum temperature in the southern and western districts of the state is being caused by dry westerly winds and strong solar insolation.

Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday recorded the highest temperature in the state at 44.7 degrees Celsius, which was 7.9 notches above normal. In Panagarh, the maximum temperature reached 44.5 degrees Celsius, nine counts above average, the weather office said.

In Bankura and Barrackpore, the maximum temperature hovered around 43 degrees Celsius, while Diamond Harbour, Canning, Krishnanagar, Bardhaman, Jhargram, Purulia, and Asansol recorded above 42 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, Darjeeling and Kalimpong continue to experience light to moderate rain with thunder, which is likely to continue till next week. A yellow alert has been issued for the northern districts of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. Darjeeling and Kalimpong recorded a maximum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. — With PTI