The city woke up to the coldest Christmas in five years on Thursday, with the mercury dipping to 13.7° Celsius, matching the minimum temperature recorded on December 25 in 2020, the year the Covid pandemic struck.
The Met office has predicted that the minimum temperature is likely to fall further on Friday and over the next couple of days.
Thursday was chilly but bright in spirit, as festive celebrations went on across the city.
The maximum temperature on Thursday was 23.7° Celsius, 1.9 degrees below normal, while the minimum of 13.7° Celsius was 0.8 degrees below the seasonal average.
Temperatures this Christmas contrasted sharply with recent years. Last year, the minimum was 18° Celsius, 16.9° in 2023, 17.2° in 2022, 14.4° in 2021, and 13.7° in 2020.
“The dip in temperature is because of north-westerly winds and the lack of enough sunlight during the day, which usually causes heating,” said a Met official.
The cold spell is expected to continue over the next few days, with minimum temperatures likely to hover between 12 and 13° Celsius until Sunday. “It won’t be sunny either,” the official added.
On Christmas Day, other parts of the state also shivered.
Darjeeling recorded a minimum of 3° Celsius, Alipurduar 8°, and Sriniketan 8.5°.
In Bankura, the minimum was 9.1°, in Burdwan 10°, and in Asansol 10.4°.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted foggy conditions in a mid-day bulletin on Thursday.
Shallow fog was observed at one or two places in Calcutta, East Midnapore, and South 24 Parganas.
Dense to very dense fog was reported in parts of Darjeeling and some areas in North 24-Parganas.
On Friday, dry weather is expected to prevail across the city and adjoining areas, although moderate fog may reduce visibility in Calcutta, Howrah, and Hooghly.