A thick blanket of fog and strong northwesterly winds dragged the day temperature down significantly in Kolkata on Tuesday.
For the first time this season, an additional layer of clothing seemed welcome even in the afternoon.
The maximum temperature recorded by the Met office in Alipore — which serves as the city’s official record — was 21.8 degrees, three notches below normal. The day temperature was the lowest so far this season.
On December 30, the Met office recorded a maximum temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest until Tuesday.
To put things in context, the average maximum temperature in January in Kolkata is around 25.5 degrees Celsius, based on the Met records compiled over the past three decades.
On Tuesday, the minimum temperature, recorded at dawn, was 15.1 degrees, still two notches above normal. But the day temperature determines whether we feel cold or warm. People wore pullovers and jackets even during the afternoon.
Most of December had been unusually warm and warm clothes were hard to spot in the city in the afternoon. But Tuesday was different.
Partha Bhattacharya, who lives in Bansdroni on the city’s southern fringes, dropped his eight-year-old son to school around 8am. Around 11am, he stepped out of home again, this time for his office in central Kolkata.
“I have been wearing an extra layer during the day because it is winter, at least on paper. But keeping it on during the day is usually uncomfortable, especially in a crowded Metro or under the sun. But today, it was useful,” said Bhattacharya, who works for an insurance company.
A Met official attributed the dip in day temperature to fog and cold winds.
“Bihar and Jharkhand have also been witnessing a dense blanket of fog. The northwesterly winds helped in pushing the fog south, towards Bengal. Together, the foggy conditions and the cold winds stalled direct sunlight from heating the surface. The sun came out as the day progressed but not in its full might. As a result, even the afternoon felt cold,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
The intensity of the northwesterly winds is tipped to go up in the coming days, according to the Met forecast. As a result, the minimum temperature is likely to slide further over the next couple of days.
“If the fog goes away, the minimum temperature is likely to dip further. But the maximum temperature will then go up and the day will feel warmer,” said Das.
The maximum temperature is usually recorded after 2pm as the temperature is on the higher side between noon and 3.30pm.
“On Tuesday, even during the warmest period of the day, the mercury was below normal,” said Das.