Minimum temperatures across most parts of West Bengal will remain largely unchanged over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Dry weather is expected to prevail across the state for the next seven days.
The Himalayan town of Darjeeling was the coldest place in the state, recording a minimum temperature of 10°C, while Kalimpong was warmer at 17°C.
Sriniketan in Birbhum district recorded the lowest temperature in the plains at 14.8°C. In Kolkata, the minimum temperature settled at 19.3°C, and neighbouring Salt Lake was slightly warmer at 21°C, according to the IMD bulletin.
The metropolis could experience slightly lower temperatures on Monday night, it added.
The Celsius slid below 20°C in Kolkata for the first time this season on Sunday as cold and dry northwesterly winds prevailed.
The Met office recorded a minimum temperature of 19.2°C in Alipore — two degrees below normal. The maximum temperature stood at 28.9°C, also two notches lower than usual.
“The cold and dry winds from the northern and western parts of the country are reaching the mainland. The night temperature has dropped significantly in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar and Jharkhand,” said a Met official in Kolkata.
The official added that “the next four to five days are likely to see dry weather. The Celsius is likely to drop to 18° in a day or two.”
The moisture content in the atmosphere has dipped, with the minimum relative humidity falling below 45 per cent on Sunday.
Met officials said there is currently no active weather system that can inject moisture into Bengal.
“The moisture-laden winds impede the free flow of northwesterly winds. But for now, there is no such possibility,” they said.
A national IMD bulletin stated: “Cold wave conditions are very likely to prevail in isolated pockets of East Rajasthan on Sunday and in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand from Sunday to Tuesday.”