The southern districts of West Bengal are likely to get a brief respite from the biting cold as minimum temperatures are expected to rise by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

In contrast, minimum temperatures in the sub-Himalayan districts are expected to remain steady for the next two days before gradually dropping by two to three notches, intensifying the winter chill in the northern parts of the state.

Dry weather is predicted across most of West Bengal for the next seven days, except in Darjeeling, where light rain or snow may occur at some places until Saturday, the IMD added. Shallow to moderate fog is likely in the morning hours for the next three to four days.

Darjeeling, the hill tourist town, was the coldest place in the state on New Year’s Day at 5 degrees Celsius. Sriniketan in Birbhum district and Kalyani in Nadia district were the coldest in the plains, recording 7.5 degrees Celsius. Other areas where the mercury dipped below 10 degrees include Alipurduar (8°C), Barrackpur (8°C), Suri (8°C), Raiganj (9°C), Magra (9°C), and Bardhaman (9°C).

Kolkata recorded a minimum of 11.6 degrees Celsius on the last day of 2025, over two degrees below normal, marking the coldest year-end in over a decade.

On December 31, Dum Dum recorded 10°C, while Sriniketan in Bolpur shivered at 6.5°C. Several areas in Birbhum, Bankura, and West Burdwan also recorded temperatures below 10°C, with Darjeeling hitting 4°C.

The drop in temperature on December 31 was sharper than expected. “The moisture content went down. As conditions became drier, the northwesterly winds near the surface strengthened. With the sun appearing earlier than on Monday and Tuesday, the day also warmed up,” explained H.R. Biswas, head of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore.

Despite this, the maximum rose only marginally, from 19.6°C on Tuesday to 20.2°C on Wednesday, still five degrees below normal.

Biswas added that the cold and dry northwesterly winds are expected to weaken in the New Year.

“A western disturbance is active in northwestern India. As it moves from west to east, the wind pattern will change. The northwesterly winds will lose some steam. In the first week of January, the minimum may rise to 15°C and the maximum to 24°C,” he said.

In Kolkata, winter is rarely an uninterrupted chill. The season alternates between cold spells caused by northwesterly winds and warmer periods brought by western disturbances. A western disturbance is a storm originating in the Mediterranean that enters India via Pakistan, bringing sudden winter rain as it moves eastward. Several western disturbances formed this year, but none were very active and had minimal impact in Bengal, allowing cold spells from the northwesterly winds to dominate the season.