10 days this month had below-normal temperatures, stage set for further dip
Times of India | 30 November 2025
Kolkata: The city remained chillier than usual this Nov, with the minimum temperature staying below the normal mark on as many as 10 days. The city also recorded the third coldest Nov days since 2017, with the minimum temperature sliding to 16.4°C on Nov 25 and 27. A cooler spell is likely in the first week of Dec.
On Saturday, the city recorded a minimum of 17.4°C and a maximum of 27.9°C, both below the normal mark. The minimum temperature started dipping earlier this month, with the mercury plunging below 20°C on Nov 9. It steadily dropped to 17°C and remained there for several days. It has not reached 20°C since then, while the minimum has remained below 18°C since last Tuesday.
The chilliest spell of the month was recorded between last Tuesday and Thursday, with the minimum temperature plunging to 16.4°C on Tuesday – the lowest recorded so far this season. It inched up to 16.6°C on Wednesday and dipped to 16.4°C again on Thursday. "The cold northwesterly winds have been flowing in at a good pace this month. There have been no obstructions in the form of systems that generate clouds and change the direction of the wind. If it happened, humid and moist winds from the sea would have dominated while the flow of northwesterly would have been cut off, leading to a temperature rise," explained Sourish Bandopadhyay, weather scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).
Since 2017, the lowest temperatures recorded in Nov are 14.6°C in 2017 and 15.4°C in 2020. In 2024, the lowest recorded was 17.2°C on Nov 26. "There are multiple factors that determine the chill intensity. Other than the northwesterly, cold wave conditions across north India also pull the mercury down. This is just a precursor to winter, and it is too early to predict if the chill will be more than usual," said RMC deputy director-general of meteorology HR Biswas.
But a temperature drop in Kolkata is imminent, he added. "While the mercury will hover around 17°C-18°C for the next three days, it will then start dropping gradually and should slide to 15°C in five to six days from now. We expect a 2°C-3°C drop between Wednesday and Friday. This will be triggered by a strong northwesterly wind," said Biswas. The maximum temperature, too, could slide by a couple of degrees and touch 26°C.
On Saturday, the lowest temperature recorded in south Bengal was 14°C in Purulia. North Bengal was cooler, with Alipurduar registering a minimum of 12°C and Darjeeling 6°C. The northwesterly has been active and sharp across north India, with large swathes of north, west, and central India registering minimum temperatures 2°C-3°C below normal. While Delhi recorded its quickest drop to single-digit temperature in 11 years, Pune recorded its lowest Nov minimum temperature in nine years.