Min temp stays below 13°C, New Year’s Eve likely to be less chilly
Times of India | 28 December 2025
Kolkata: The city woke up to yet another chilly morning as the minimum temperature dipped to 12.8°C on Saturday, making it the coldest day of the season so far. The city recorded a minimum of 12.9°C on Friday. While the cool spell will persist, New Year's Eve could be less chilly, with the mercury set to rise marginally to 14°C on Dec 31, said the Met office.
The New Year could see temperatures rise further to around 14°C-15°C under the impact of a Western Disturbance (WD) that will affect north Bengal significantly. Kolkata and south Bengal may not receive rain, but a cloud cover could push the temperature up, said weathermen. Until then, a strong and chilly northwesterly wind and shallow fog will keep the city cool.
"The temperature will continue to hover around 13°C until Dec 30. We have a strong northwesterly along with fog at the lower levels that is blocking the sunrays, which remain weak in winter. These two have combined to pull the temperature down, and these will persist over the next two to three days. Then, we have a WD forming in northwest India that will sail towards the east and northeast. It will result in a slight temperature rise from Dec 31 to Jan 1," said HR Biswas, deputy director-general of meteorology.
A WD is an extra-tropical storm system originating in the Mediterranean region and often triggers unseasonal rain and snow across northwestern, northern, and northeastern parts of India in winter. WDs can block the flow of northwesterly wind that carries in chill from the northwestern parts of the subcontinent and helps to keep the temperature low in winter.
The maximum temperature climbed by a degree in Kolkata to touch 22.9°C on Saturday. It could touch 24°C by Dec 31 to Jan 1. Shallow to moderate fog will persist across south Bengal and Kolkata over the next two to three days, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). Sriniketan recorded the lowest temperature in south Bengal on Saturday – 9.7°C. "Across the plains of north Bengal, Alipurduar recorded the lowest temperature - 8°C. In the hilly regions of Darjeeling, the minimum temperature dipped to 4.5°C," said a ‘daily weather summary' from RMC.
While Saturday's minimum temperature was a degree below normal, the maximum was 2.5° below normal. The maximum temperature in Dec has remained below the normal mark on 24 days out of 27.
In 2018, Kolkata recorded 10.6°C on Dec 29, which was the coldest day of the month in a decade. In 2024, the lowest minimum recorded in Dec was 12.5°C on Dec 15.