Chill is on its way to Kolkata, after a long interval.
“The stage is set for a comeback of the northwesterly winds. The persistent weather systems over north India, which were obstructing their passage, are weakening. By Thursday night, the effect of the winds should be felt in Kolkata. By Friday, the Celsius is expected to dip at least two to three notches from the current level,” said a Met official.
On Wednesday, the minimum temperature was 16.1 degrees Celsius, still two notches above normal.
The forecast for the weekend is “mainly clear sky” with minimum temperatures likely to be between 13 and 14 degrees.
The chill is expected to last for a few days, according to the Met office. If the forecast comes good, this will be the second chilly spell this winter.
The first was in the second week of December. The conditions remained cold for about a week before the northwesterly winds were stalled by moisture-laden winds from the Bay. The season’s coldest day so far was December 17, when the minimum temperature was 13.7 degrees.
There have been two days in between when Kolkatans felt cold. On January 3, the minimum temperature was 14 degrees. But that was on account of northerly winds from Sikkim, not because of the northwesterly winds from Kashmir, the usual agents of chill.
Successive Western Disturbances that have led to the formation of weather systems over northern parts of India have robbed Kolkata of the winter chill.
“The conditions are expected to improve from Thursday. The sky is set to be clearer. As a result, the northwesterly winds are gradually going to be dominant in south Bengal,” said G.K. Das, director, Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore.
A bulletin issued by the IMD headquarters on Wednesday said: “Cold day to severe cold day conditions likely to reduce over northwest India from January 11.”