A system on the Bay of Bengal is likely to bring rain to Kolkata later this week, the Met office said. If the prediction comes true, the onset of chill will be delayed further, said Met officials.
“A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeast and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on November 14. It is likely to turn into a depression by November 16. Under its influence, light rain is expected in Kolkata between November 15 and 17,” said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.
The moisture that the system is likely to send is expected to stall the flow of the dry and cold northwesterly winds into the city. Dry and cold northwesterly winds, which herald the onset of winter in Kolkata, are expected to return after the system dissipates.
The Met office did not say anything on whether the system would intensify after turning into a depression. A depression intensifies into a deep depression and then into a cyclone. October and November have seen multiple cyclones in the Bay in the past.
“The stronger the system gets, the longer will be the delay for any significant slide in the Celsius in Kolkata and the rest of south Bengal,” said a Met official.
In Kolkata, the minimum temperature has been on the higher side for the past few days. It is likely to remain like this for the next few days, said Met officials.
The maximum temperature has, however, been either normal or on the lower side.
In simple terms, the days have been colder than usual. The night temperature, however, has been marginally on the higher side. The Met office recorded a maximum temperature of 29.8 degrees in Alipore on Sunday. It was a notch below normal. The minimum temperature was 22.2 degrees, two notches above what is usual for this time of the year.
“The minimum temperature is taken into account by the Met office to declare how cold a day is. But it is recorded in the early hours of the day, in the run-up to sunrise. But the day temperature affects people for a longer duration,” said a Met official.
The pollution in the air is a hurdle to clear sunlight. In phases, the city had been getting stronger northerly winds compared with northwesterly winds. “Northerly winds, which come from Sikkim via Bihar, are not strong enough to drag the night temperature down,” said a Met official.
The night temperature is unlikely to drop in the next few days, he said.
“The next few days are likely to see a similar trend. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30 and 22 degrees Celsius,” he said.