The Celsius plunged to 12.6 degrees on Saturday, the coldest day of the season so far, as northwesterly winds tightened their grip over Kolkata.
The morning was foggy but the day was bright and sunny and people made the most of the winter weekend, flocking to parks and museums.
The Met office has predicted a colder Sunday. But even if it does not happen, the minimum temperature is likely to be on the lower side for the next few days.
In Dum Dum, the Celsius dipped to 11 degrees on Saturday.
The districts were also shivering. Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum and Murshidabad were among the districts in south Bengal that saw the Celsius sliding well past the 10-degree mark.
“Northwesterly winds are dominant now. The bite of the cold is being felt more after sundown. But even the day is chilly because of the strong winds,” said a Met official.
On Saturday, the maximum temperature was around 22 degrees, three notches below normal.
A tour of the city was a better pointer to the chill than Met readings.
Around 12.30pm, the queue outside the Victoria Memorial was fairly long. Everyone was wearing warm clothes.
Stalls selling woollens, mufflers and caps did brisk business. An elderly couple were buying caps from one such stall in Wellington Square.
Their children and grandchildren, who live in Canada, are about to visit Kolkata.
“The warm clothes they have are suited for the winters in Canada, which are much harsher. We are buying some stuff for our grandchildren to see them through the mild Kolkata winter,” said Jayanta Dey, a Salt Lake resident.
The chill is likely to persist till Tuesday, after which a fresh western disturbance is likely to stall the flow of northwesterly winds into Kolkata.
Some rain is also likely in the city around January 17, according to the Met forecast.