Residents of Kolkata experienced a slight, albeit temporary, respite from the biting winter chill on Saturday as the city's minimum temperature climbed to the normal mark. After remaining below normal for five consecutive days, the mercury touched 14.2 degrees Celsius, a degree higher than recent lows.
A Brief Respite Before the Chill Returns
While the minimum temperature normalized, the day remained chilly and windy with the maximum temperature recorded at 23.4°C. This was still 1.7 degrees below the normal maximum for this time of year. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), this slight warming trend could persist for one more day before a familiar pattern reasserts itself.
Weather scientists attributed this brief warm spell to a change in wind patterns. A western disturbance temporarily altered the flow over south Bengal, including Kolkata, reducing the intensity of the cold. "A mixed wind pattern now prevails in Kolkata that partially blocked the northwesterly flow," explained RMC weather scientist Sourish Bandopadhyay. "We now have winds from the southeast that are fetching moisture from the sea. This helped push the mercury up."
Mercury Set to Dip Again From Monday
The relief is expected to be short-lived. The Met Office has predicted that temperatures will start dipping again from Monday as the chilly northwesterly winds regain their intensity. The impact of the western disturbance is likely to cease, restoring the dominant cold wind flow from the northwest.
The minimum temperature could gradually slide to settle around 13°C by the middle of next week, bringing back the characteristic winter chill. Shallow morning fog is also expected to keep the chill factor high during this period.
A Consistently Cold Winter Season
This recent fluctuation comes after a notably cold period for the City of Joy. The minimum temperature had plunged to a season's low of 11°C on New Year's Eve. On January 1, it rose marginally to 11.6°C, which was the lowest New Year's Day temperature in 15 years.
"This is a brief, comparatively less chilly spell that will end in a day or two," a weather scientist noted. "The mercury remained consistently below the normal mark since mid-December. While last month was cooler than most Decembers in recent years, the first half of January, too, is set to witness below-normal temperature."
The data underscores this trend: before Saturday's rise to 14.2°C, Kolkata's minimum last touched the normal mark the previous Sunday at 14°C. On Friday, it was 13.1°C, still 1.1°C below normal.
