A fresh Western Disturbance has cut short the spell of chill, feeding moisture into Bengal, Met officials said.

The minimum temperature was 14.2 degrees Celsius in Calcutta on Sunday. Monday is expected to be warmer, according to the forecast.

On Saturday, the minimum temperature was 12.3 degrees Celsius, the lowest so far this season.

A Western Disturbance is active now, the Met office said. The system was over Punjab on Sunday morning and moving towards the Northeast.

“The Western Disturbance, as a cyclonic circulation, lies over Punjab and its neighbourhood in lower to upper tropospheric levels. An induced cyclonic circulation lies over central parts of north Rajasthan and neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels,” said a bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department.

A Met official in Alipore said the system was sending moisture into the atmosphere. “Moisture blocks the flow of cold northwesterly and northerly winds, causing the Celsius to rise,” the official said.

“Light rain/snow likely at one or two places in Darjeeling district. Light rain likely at one or two places in Kalimpong. Dry weather likely in the remaining districts of West Bengal. Shallow to moderate fog likely to prevail at one or two places in morning hours over East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia, Murshidabad, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas,” said the forecast for Monday.

The Met bulletin predicted a gradual rise in minimum temperatures by 2-3 degrees Celsius in south Bengal over the next 48 hours.

In Calcutta, winter does not usually mean uninterrupted chill. The season is divided into cold spells caused by the free flow of northwesterly winds and warm spells brought by Western Disturbances.

A Western Disturbance is a storm that originates in the Mediterranean region and enters India via Pakistan. It brings sudden winter rain as it moves from northwestern to eastern India.

“The Celsius in Calcutta usually dips after the passage of a Western Disturbance,” said a Met official.

This season the city experienced the first proper chill between December 12 and 16, when the minimum temperature was between 12 and 14 degrees.

New Year’s Day marked the beginning of the second cold spell that lasted till January 4.

The third spell began on January 8. The minimum temperature dipped to 12.3 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the season’s coldest day so far.

The Celsius has started to rise but at 14.2 degrees, the hint of chill was there on Sunday. Parks and museums in and around the city remained crowded.