The sky has been gloomy since Friday and it is likely to remain so till Tuesday, according to the Met forecast.
A Met official attributed the conditions to localised clouds formed by moisture-laden northeasterly winds.
“The winds are coming to the coastal areas of south Bengal via Meghalaya, Assam, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The winds are feeding on moisture from the Bay and helping in the formation of clouds over Kolkata, South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and East Midnapore,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
“The northeasterly winds are likely to be dominant in the upper atmosphere for the next four to five days. Till then, the sky is expected to remain cloudy,” he said.
There is moisture in the atmosphere, thanks to the winds, but not enough to trigger rain in the city, Das said.
Usually, the end of October is marked by the arrival of cold and dry northwesterly winds in the city. That had been the case in the run-up to the Puja.
The northwesterly winds had brought a change in the weather. The days were bright and sunny. The nights and early mornings had a hint of chill.
Cyclone Hamoon on the Bay of Bengal changed the weather, triggering rain in the city on Navami and Dashami, before it moved towards Bangladesh and hit land early on Wednesday.
“When northwesterly winds dominate the atmosphere, the weather is bright, sunny and dry. But now, the northwesterly winds are relatively weaker. They should gain some steam and dominate the atmosphere from the middle of next week. When they do, the northeasterly winds will be blocked,” said Das of IMD.
Till then, the maximum temperature in Kolkata is likely to vary between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum between 23 and 24 degrees.
From the middle of next week, the night temperature is likely to slide. But Das said there is little possibility of the mercury sliding below 20 degrees anytime soon.