Cyclone averted, the city is now bracing for the onset of chill.
The Met office has forecast a slide in the Celsius as northwesterly winds from the upper reaches of the country enter Calcutta.
The moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal, swirling around Cyclone Midhili, had been entering Calcutta from the northeastern parts of India for the past few days. The moisture had been stalling the flow of the northwesterly winds.
As a result, the minimum temperature remained on the higher side. The overcast conditions, however, dragged the day temperature down.
But the conditions are changing now. On Monday, the minimum temperature was 20.8 degrees, still a notch above normal but on the downward slope.
On Thursday, when Midhili was barrelling towards the east coast, the minimum temperature was around 24 degrees.
The storm crossed the Bangladesh coast on Friday. It kept weakening and eventually dissipated by Saturday.
In Calcutta, Monday was cloudy in parts. The clouds came from a cyclonic circulation over Bangladesh. But it is set to move away, said Met officials.
"There is no other weather system that can stall the flow of the northwesterly winds. The minimum temperature is expected to dip to around 19 degrees by the middle of this week," said G.K. Das, director, India Meteorological Department, Calcutta.
“The coming days will be bright and sunny and there will be a hint of chill at night."
The "mean" daily minimum temperature for November is 20.1 degrees Celsius in Calcutta, based on Met readings of the past 30 years.
The third week of November is usually the time when Calcuttans start feeling the onset of chill. But last year was different.
On November 14 last year, the mercury plunged to 17.5 degrees Celsius in Calcutta, the coldest November 14 in the city in nine years, as cold winds from Kashmir strengthened their grip on the city.
The northwesterly winds from Kashmir are the usual agents of chill that reach Calcutta via Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Bihar,
According to reports, a cold wave gripped Kashmir on Monday as the minimum temperature in the valley dipped below the freezing point at several places, including Srinagar, last night.
Unlike the monsoon, there is no official announcement from the Met office on the onset of winter in Calcutta.
But three to four days without rain and the minimum temperature less than 15 degrees are usually the markers of the onset of winter.