Christmas is set to be chilly, the Met office said on Christmas Eve.
The Met office recorded a minimum temperature of 14.9° Celsius at Alipore on Wednesday. On Thursday, the minimum temperature is likely to drop to around 14°. The day after, it is expected to slide further to around 13°, according to the forecast.
“Northwesterly and northerly winds are gaining momentum, and temperatures are expected to dip. By Saturday, minimum temperatures are likely to drop by a couple of degrees across the state,” a Met official said.
On Wednesday, Sriniketan in Birbhum was the coldest place in south Bengal, recording a minimum of 10°. In the hills, Darjeeling recorded a minimum of 3.8°.
The Met office has issued a “dense fog” warning for north Bengal and West Burdwan, Birbhum and Purulia in south Bengal. In Calcutta and other districts, shallow fog is likely in the morning. As the day progresses, the sun is expected to come out, making the weather pleasant and ideal for the festivities. The maximum temperature is likely to hover between 23 and 24°.
For those stepping out, here is a quick transport lowdown for the day.
Metro services
Metro Railway has extended its timings for Christmas on the north-south corridor (Blue Line). The last train from Shahid Khudiram (Briji) will leave at 10.30pm, while the last train from Dakshineswar will depart at 10.23pm. Services will start at 6.50am. A total of 224 trains will run, compared with the usual weekday count of 272.
Two direct Metro services from Jai Hind Bimanbandar (airport) to Shahid Khudiram via Noapara will be available as usual.
On the Green Line, or East-West Metro, the carrier will operate 201 services instead of the usual 228. There is no change in the timings of the first and last trains from the terminal stations, Sector V and Howrah Maidan.
One additional train will leave Howrah Maidan for Central Park at 10.20pm.
The other corridors will function as usual, an official said.
Bus, cab
Booking an app cab to Park Street, Theatre Road, Camac Street and adjoining areas may be difficult in the evening, with steep surge pricing expected through the day.
Bus operators said the fleet will remain normal during the day. The number of buses is expected to increase in the evening, especially on routes linking Metro stations, they said.