The Celsius in Calcutta has not dipped as it should have after a bout of snowfall in Kashmir last weekend.

The Met office blamed a high-pressure area over Jharkhand for denying Calcutta the chill that the cold and dry winds from north India were expected to bring.

“A high-pressure area is brewing over Jharkhand. The system is stalling the free flow of northwesterly winds to Calcutta and the rest of south Bengal via Ranchi, Purulia and Asansol. The system is leading to a change in the direction of the winds, towards north Bengal via Kishanganj (Bihar) and Malda,” said a Met official.

The system has also robbed Jharkhand of its chill and has led to a rise in temperature.

In Calcutta, the minimum temperature has been hovering between 19 and 20 degrees for the past few days. The sky has been relatively clear and the sun is shining bright.

“A high-pressure or an anti-cyclonic system usually results in fair weather and a rise in night temperatures,” said the Met official.

The high-altitude areas of Kashmir and Uttarakhand received heavy snowfall on Monday. The Kashmir Valley had also received moderate snowfall on Saturday.

Usually, after a bout of snowfall in the Valley, the cold winds take around 48 hours to reach south Bengal. The winds are flowing in via Delhi and Uttar Pradesh but are being blocked entry into Jharkhand — and, consequently, south Bengal — by the high-pressure area.

“The winds are instead heading towards Kishanganj (Bihar), Malda and further north towards the hills,” said G.K. Das, the director of India Meteorological Department, Calcutta.

“The temperature in places like Darjeeling is set to dip over the next few days. In Calcutta, the minimum temperature is tipped to be 21 degrees. On a day or two, it can rise to 22 degrees,” he added.

The high-pressure system is tipped to move towards the Bay of Bengal in the coming days. The temperature in the city is expected to dip after the system dissipates, said Das.