Poor air clouds season’s coldest morning, Calcutta gets the taste of chilly winter
Telegraph | 27 December 2025
The city woke up to its coldest morning of the season on Boxing Day, with the mercury dipping to 12.9° Celsius at the break of dawn.
The minimum temperature, recorded just before sunrise, was 1.6° Celsius below normal and is likely to remain in the 12-13°C range at least till Sunday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
While the chill brought a wintry feel, it also coincided with a spell of poor air quality, dampening the joy of what is otherwise the most pleasant season for outdoor activities.
“The minimum temperature dropped to 12.9° Celsius on Friday... A strong current of north-westerly winds is dragging down the mercury and bringing the chill,” said an IMD official in Calcutta.
The same weather system has also led to a sharp dip in daytime temperatures. On Friday afternoon, the maximum temperature settled at 21.2° Celsius, a substantial 4.4° below normal, making even the midday hours feel unusually cold. There was a distinct chill in the air even in the afternoon, with many people seen on the streets wearing woollen caps or wrapped in shawls.
According to the IMD, this cold phase may ease slightly from Monday as the intensity of the north-westerly winds weakens, allowing temperatures to rise marginally. For Saturday, the IMD has forecast maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 22° and 13° respectively.
However, the crisp weather came with a downside. At 7am on Friday, three of the seven air quality monitoring stations across Calcutta and Salt Lake — Jadavpur, Bidhannagar and Victoria — recorded “poor” air quality. The remaining four stations reported “moderate” levels.
As per the air quality index (AQI), “poor” air can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure, while “moderate” air quality may lead to breathing discomfort among people with lung, asthma and heart ailments.
The situation showed little improvement as the day progressed. At 2pm, air quality remained “poor” at Jadavpur, Bidhannagar and Victoria, and “moderate” at Ballygunge, Rabindra Bharati University’s BT Road campus, Fort William and Rabindra Sarobar.
The combination of cold and pollution affected daily routines. Many elderly residents avoided their early morning outings.
A Bhowanipore resident in his 50s, who usually cycles every morning, said he had stopped the habit for now. “Cycling is a good cardiovascular exercise, but breathing foul air during winter mornings worries me. I’ll wait till mid-February for the air quality to improve,” he said, adding that summer heat also limits outdoor exercise after 6.30am.
Despite the polluted air, the Maidan bustled with visitors who stepped out to soak in the winter sun.