Min rises to 15°C but brace for dip as chill may continue till end of wk
Times of India | 12 January 2026
Kolkata: Kolkata recorded a rise in temperatures on Sunday, but the chill was set to continue as northwesterly winds started gaining strength after a brief disruption, the Met office said.
The minimum temperature jumped 3.5°C to 15°C on Sunday, even as it felt chilly with a thin cloud cover moving away and making way for the sun. The maximum temperature rose by more than a degree to 23.9°C, still marginally below the normal mark.
Kolkata could see the minimum temperature drop to 12°C by Tuesday, the Met office said.
The mercury was expected to slide to 12°C-13°C on Monday and continue its southward journey, reaching 12°C on Tuesday. It could continue to hover around the 12°C mark till next Sunday, according to a bulletin issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). The maximum temperature could hover around 22°C.
"A low-pressure area off the southern coast had led to some cloud generation. Some clouds from the outer band of the system had floated into south Bengal and briefly interrupted the flow of the northwesterly wind. This marginally pulled up the temperatures on Sunday but it still felt chilly since the clouds have now moved away. In fact, it remained sunny for the most part of Sunday and there was a slight wind. It added to the chill," said HR Biswas, deputy director-general of meteorology.
He said that the chill would continue as there was no further system to block the northwesterly flow. "There is no more system in the region that can block the wind. So, the chill will continue," added Biswas.
Western disturbances usually halt the northwesterly in winter and lead to a temporary rise in temperatures. 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.
Western disturbances 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.
Kolkata so far had a relatively severe winter, with the mercury remaining below the normal mark consistently since mid-Dec.
The city recorded a season's low of 10.2°C on Jan 6, which was also the lowest recorded in the city in 13 years.
Weathermen said the consistent chill was due to the lack of systems and WDs.
"There have been fewer systems that could have blocked the northwesterly. The chilly winds have been flowing in more steadily than previous years, keeping the mercury below the normal mark. With the skies set to remain clear, the winds will continue and the chill will persist across south Bengal over the next week," said a weather scientist.