For first time this season, min temp slides below 20°C; mercury’s downward trend set to continue
Times of India | 17 November 2024
12 Kolkata: The mercury dipped below 20°C for the first time this season on a nippy Saturday morning in Kolkata, bringing a whiff of early winter chill. Even as the minimum temperature slid to 19.3°C, a notch below normal, the mercury's downward slide could continue till Sunday when it could drop to 18°C, said the Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore.
The maximum temperature also dropped a couple of degrees to 28.7°C on Saturday. While it is unlikely to drop below the 18°C mark immediately, the minimum temperature could remain below 20°C for some time until the northwesterly gains further strength and the mercury sees a sharper slide, probably by the end of November.
"We expect the mercury to hover around 18°C-19°C for some days now. While it may not drop further, the minimum temperature will not climb above 20°C either. So, this is the beginning of a pleasant weather spell that was triggered by the northwesterly wind which has been flowing in at a fair rate. It will remain dry and the mornings will be slightly chilly," said RMC weather scientist Sourish Banerjee.
The mercury dropped three degrees so far since last Thursday, spiralling down from 22°C to 19°C. "We expect the minimum to drop to 18°C on Sunday. It is the northwesterly which is responsible for the gradual drop. It has been steadily gaining strength even as the warm southeasterly from the sea has been weakening. But it won't get any stronger immediately, so we may see the temperature plateau for some days. There could be a further drop when the northwesterly gets stronger," added Banerjee.
On Friday, the mercury slid two degrees to 20°C, accompanied by a nip in the air. While the mornings have been chilly, it has been getting slightly warmer as the day progresses. But the early morning chill will persist, said weathermen.
A nip in the air was first felt on Friday morning when the minimum temperature dropped to 20°C. The city remained partially cloudy last week and there was intermittent fog due to the incursion of southeasterly winds.
Private weather forecasting service Accuweather, however, predicted that the maximum temperature may remain around 30°C till the end of the month.