Kolkata: On Wednesday, the mercury in Kolkata dipped to the lowest for Dec 31 in more than a decade. At 11°C, the minimum temperature was also the lowest this season, the lowest for Dec in seven years, and the second-lowest in a decade.
In Dum Dum, the mercury plummeted to 10°C while across the Hooghly, it plunged to 9°C in Howrah. In Salt Lake, it remained at 11.4°C. Sriniketan recorded the lowest temperature in south Bengal at 6.5°C, and Darjeeling recorded 3.4°C.
The day time was equally chilly, fuelled by the steady inflow of the chill-bearing northwesterly, making the wintry vibe perfect for Kolkatans to bid adieu to 2025. The maximum temperature on Wednesday, at 20.1°C, 5.3 notches below normal, was also the lowest for Dec 31 in a decade.
The mercury plunged to the 11-degree bracket only once in the past decade on Dec 31; the 11.6°C in 2018 was a tad higher. While it touched the 12°C mark twice during the past decade, on NYE last year it stood at 17.3°C. In 2023, it was 16.6°C.
Met officials said an uninterrupted flow of northwesterly wind and the sky being clear of layers of fog paved the way for the minimum temperature to dip. "At 19.6°C, the maximum on Tuesday was close to six notches below normal. And after the sun set on Tuesday, the fog layers disappeared, clearing the deck for the minimum temperature to fall further. Another factor was the less moisture volume," said H R Biswas, head of Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata.
In the past decade, the Dec mercury dipped lower than that of Wednesday only once, when the Alipore Met office recorded a minimum temperature of 10.6°C on Dec 29. In 2024 and 2023, it was 12.5°C and 13.7°C, respectively.
Though the mercury is expected to rise gradually from Thursday, the Met office expects the cold feeling to stay, with the minimum and maximum likely touching 12°C and 22°C, respectively. "By Friday, the minimum could be around 14°C-15°C and hover there for one-two days before it starts coming down," Biswas added.
Met officials blamed a western disturbance over the north-western region that is poised to prevent the mercury drop. Although this system does not have any direct impact on the state, it will change the wind pattern. As this system retards the momentum of the north-westerly wind, wind from the Bay of Bengal will start injecting moisture into the land, thus pushing the mercury up temporarily.