The minimum temperature in Calcutta dropped to 11.5° Celsius on Saturday from 12.1° the day before.
Saturday morning was 2.5° colder than normal, based on a 30-year average. The maximum temperature of 22° was also a couple of notches below normal.
The chill is set to continue. The Met office discounted any significant rise in the minimum temperature over the coming week. Daytime temperatures are also expected to remain a few degrees below normal, according to the forecast.
“Northwesterly/northerly winds at lower tropospheric levels are likely to prevail over Bengal. Dry weather is very likely to prevail over all districts of West Bengal during the next seven days,” said a Met bulletin.
On Saturday, Bankura recorded the coldest temperature in south Bengal at 7.1° Celsius, while Darjeeling in the hills recorded a minimum of 1.5°.
The Met bulletin has warned of dense fog reducing visibility (199-50m) in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and North Dinajpur districts of north Bengal in the coming days. Cold day conditions are likely in Malda and North Dinajpur districts. Shallow to moderate fog is expected in south Bengal.
In Calcutta, the effect of the northwesterly winds was noticeable even during the afternoon. The past couple of days saw warm, pleasant days and cold nights, but Saturday remained chilly even under the midday sun.
“The minimum temperature is unlikely to exceed 13° next week. The maximum is likely to remain between 21° and 23° Celsius,” a Met official said.