Kolkata welcomed the final day of 2025 with an intense chill, recording its coldest December 31 in more than a decade. The mercury dipped to a brisk 11 degrees Celsius, setting multiple seasonal records and providing a truly wintry farewell to the year.
A Record-Breaking Chill for New Year's Eve
The Alipore meteorological observatory logged a minimum temperature of 11°C on Wednesday. This reading is significant for several reasons. It stands as the lowest temperature recorded on a December 31 in over ten years. Furthermore, it is the season's coldest night so far and the second-lowest minimum temperature for the entire month of December in the past decade.
The chill was even more pronounced in the suburbs and neighboring districts. Dum Dum recorded 10°C, while Howrah, across the Hooghly river, saw the thermometer fall to 9°C. Salt Lake registered 11.4°C. In south Bengal, Sriniketan was the coldest at a frigid 6.5°C, and the hill station of Darjeeling recorded 3.4°C.
What Caused the Sharp Temperature Drop?
Meteorologists attributed the severe cold to specific atmospheric conditions. H R Biswas, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, explained the phenomenon. He cited an uninterrupted flow of dry, cold northwesterly winds combined with a clear sky, free of fog layers, as the primary reasons.
"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," stated Biswas. The daytime was equally chilly, with the maximum temperature settling at 20.1°C, which is 5.3 degrees below the normal average and the lowest maximum for December 31 in ten years.
Historical Context and Upcoming Forecast
This year's cold spike is a stark contrast to recent years. On New Year's Eve in 2024, the minimum was a much warmer 17.3°C, and in 2023, it was 16.6°C. In the past decade, December 31 touched 11°C only once before, in 2018, when it was a slightly higher 11.6°C. The last time December saw a lower temperature was on December 29, when it hit 10.6°C.
However, residents should brace for a slight change. The Met office predicts a gradual rise in temperatures starting Thursday. A western disturbance over north-western India is expected to alter wind patterns, slowing the cold northwesterlies and allowing moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal to push temperatures up temporarily.
"Though the mercury is expected to rise gradually from Thursday, the cold feeling will stay," Biswas added. The minimum and maximum are likely to be around 12°C and 22°C respectively on Thursday. "By Friday, the minimum could be around 14°C-15°C and hover there for one-two days before it starts coming down again," he concluded.
