The Met office on Tuesday warned of light rain in Calcutta and the coastal districts in the next 24 hours.

The director of the weather section at Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore, G.C. Debnath, said a cyclonic circulation had formed over central Bengal on Monday.

“The system, sucking in moisture from the sea, has resulted in the formation of rain clouds. Light rain is likely in the next 24 hours, leading to a drop in the minimum temperature. The weather may improve on Thursday,” said Debnath.

The minimum temperature in the next two days, he added, is likely to drop to near-normal.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature soared to 21.4 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal.

Scattered rain was reported from some parts of the city, including stretches of EM Bypass, Esplanade and Alipore, on Tuesday.

A western disturbance is likely to hit the western Himalayan region between February 21 and 23. “But it is difficult to say right now whether it will be followed by another cold spell,” said a Met official.

Tuesday’s lowest minimum temperature in the North Indian plains — 5 degrees Celsius — was recorded in Adampur (Punjab) and Sarsawa (Uttar Pradesh). In the eastern plains, the lowest minimum temperature was 11 degrees, recorded in Daltonganj and Ranchi (both in Jharkhand).