As a biting northerly wind swept across West Bengal toward the end of December, intensifying winter conditions and steadily lowering temperatures statewide, Kolkata recorded its coldest day of the season on Saturday for the third consecutive day of decline.
The city’s minimum temperature fell to 12.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday –about one degree below normal – marking the coldest day of the season after a steady decline from 13.7 degrees on Thursday to 12.9 degrees on Friday.
According to the Alipore Meteorological Department, Kolkata’s sky is expected to remain largely clear and cloudless on Saturday.
However, morning fog may cause disruptions. A fog advisory has been issued for almost all districts of south Bengal, where light to moderate fog could reduce visibility to between 999 metres and 200 metres.
Conditions are expected to be more severe in north Bengal.
The weather office has issued a warning of dense fog across all northern districts on Saturday and Sunday, with visibility likely to drop sharply to between 199 metres and as low as 50 metres.
While no major change in temperatures is expected in north Bengal over the next seven days, south Bengal may see a gradual rise.
The Met department said temperatures in southern districts are likely to remain largely stable over the next five days, after which the mercury may climb by two to three degrees.
In the ongoing cold spell, Sriniketan in Birbhum has emerged as the coldest location in south Bengal, even recording lower temperatures than some Hill districts in the north.
Sriniketan logged a minimum temperature of 9.7 degrees Celsius – the lowest in south Bengal on Saturday.
In north Bengal, Darjeeling recorded a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Alipurduar reported 8 degrees, Kalimpong 9.5 degrees, while Raiganj saw the mercury fall to 10 degrees Celsius.
With cold winds and dense fog persisting, the chill is expected to continue gripping Bengal in the days ahead.