Kolkata weather: Unusual warm spell set to end, Met office spies drop in temperature
Telegraph | 3 February 2025
The unusually warm spell is set to end with the Met office spying a drop in the Celsius from Monday.
The sky, which has been consistently cloudy for the past two days, is also set to start clearing from Monday, according to the forecast. However, the dip in temperature will be short-lived as another Western Disturbance — the familiar foe for winter chill — is set to emerge on the northwest frontiers of the country on Tuesday.
Once the system is gone, another chill spell will be headed south Bengal’s way. That, in all likelihood, will be the last this winter, said Met officials.
The Met office recorded a minimum temperature of 22.1 degrees in Alipore on Sunday. It was almost seven notches above normal. On Saturday, it was 22.6 degrees. The unusually warm spell was linked to high moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.
On Sunday, the minimum relative humidity was 81 per cent, more than double of what is normal for this time of the year. “The wind pattern had changed last week under the influence of a Western Disturbance. The northwesterly and northerly winds in the lower atmosphere were replaced by moisture-laden southerly and southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal. Moisture is inimical to the flow of northwesterly winds. Now, the wind pattern is changing again. The winds from the Bay will not be very active. Northwesterly winds are set to make a comeback,” said a Met official.
The drop in the temperature will be marginal for now. “The minimum will drop a couple of notches on Monday and further in the coming days. By Wednesday, the minimum can slide to around 17-18 degrees,” the Met official said.
From February 6, the temperature will start rising again because of the Western Disturbance. But after its effect is gone, another spell of chill will embrace Calcutta. “The minimum temperature may drop to around 15 degrees in that spell, expected to set in next week,” said the Met official.
He also said the spell could be the last for this winter.
“The days are already becoming longer and the nights shorter. It means the end of winter is not far away,” he said.
The high moisture content led to the formation of clouds that cloaked the sun for most of Sunday. As a result, the day temperature was below normal.
Sunday morning saw dense fog in North 24-Parganas and moderate fog in Calcutta. “On Monday, the sky will be partly cloudy. Some fog is expected on Monday as well,” said the Met official.