Kolkata: While the nip in the air is already here, do not expect the winter chill for now. The Met office says the mercury is unlikely to dip significantly at present. In fact, both the maximum and minimum temperatures rose marginally on Monday while both parameters continued to hover below the normal mark.
A clear sky and the northwesterly wind blowing into the city forced the minimum temperature below 20°C on Sunday, a first this winter, to stand at 19.2°C. On Monday, it was 19.3°C. The maximum temperature also climbed slightly to 29.2°C from 28.9°C.
"There is no major variation in the mercury, and the same trend will continue. There is a possibility of the minimum temperature touching the 18°C mark by Wednesday or Thursday, but we do not expect any abrupt dip for now," said Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata, head H R Biswas.
The Met officials said that the winter pattern in Bengal is largely affected by the cold conditions in parts of central India, as the dry northwesterly wind from the region is a major factor in pushing the mercury down. Even as there are two cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal at present, the Met officials said these two systems will not have any impact on the city's weather conditions.