The mercury dipped to 12.6 degrees in Calcutta on Tuesday, a notch below usual, riding north-westerly winds.
Before Tuesday, the Celsius in Calcutta had been under normal in the run-up to Christmas.
The current spell of chill is unlikely to last long. The India Meteorological Department in Delhi has issued a forecast of a “wet spell over northwest and central India till January 9 because of two consecutive western disturbances”.
The minimum temperature is tipped to rise by “2-5 degrees” across most parts of northern and central Indian over the next few days, according to the forecast.
“Under the effect of the systems, the flow of the north-westerly winds will be halted. The effect will be felt from Friday,” said a Met official.
By the weekend, the minimum temperature is likely to climb up to around 18 degrees, according to the Met office in Alipore.
However, for the past couple of days, the weather in Calcutta has been bright, sunny and cold. The afternoon was also cold and windy. The winds dragged the day temperature down. The maximum temperature was 23.8 degrees, a notch below normal.
But the fresh surge in Covid cases has prevented people from stepping out and soaking the winter sun.
The public attractions in the city are shut as part of the fresh curbs to check the spread of new infections.
Winter in Kolkata is made up of multiple cold spells. The first one came a week before Christmas. On December 20, the Celsius plunged to 11.2 degrees, the lowest this season. The phase of chill that lasted for almost a week in Calcutta was an extension of the cold wave conditions in northern India.
“The current slide was too short to be called a spell,” said a weather scientist.