For many Calcuttans, Saturday seemed like the coldest day of this season though the minimum was higher than usual.

A sunless sky and on-and-off drizzles dragged the day temperature down so much that there was very little difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures. That is what made the day chilly, said the weatherman.

The clouds that shielded the sun and triggered the light rain came from the outer band of Cyclone Fengal, which was hurtling towards the Tamil Nadu coast, said a Met official.

The Met office has predicted a cloudy sky on Sunday as well. The day temperature is expected to be on the lower side. The conditions are tipped to improve from Monday.

Around 12.45pm on Saturday, there was hardly any queue outside the Alipore zoo, which usually sees hundreds waiting at the ticket counters on a Saturday on the last day of November.

A drizzle had forced the umbrellas out. Many, caught off guard by the untimely showers, sought shelter under a tree or a concrete roof.

Hours earlier, the attendance was thin at the cricket camps on the Maidan, Vivekananda Park and Rabindra Sarobar.

The adjoining districts also got rain. Serampore in Hooghly received a sharp spell in the morning.

Why it felt so cold

At 21.2 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature was almost four notches above normal. But the maximum temperature plunged to 22 degrees, a whopping seven notches below normal.

Usually the maximum and minimum temperatures in Calcutta in end-November is around 28 and 17 degrees, respectively, meaning a difference of 11 degrees. On Saturday, it was less than one degree Celsius.

“The low day temperature was the main reason for the chill. The minimum temperature is recorded in the early hours of the day, usually just before sunrise when most of the city is asleep. The effect lingers for a while. But the effect of the maximum temperature — which is recorded in the afternoon, usually when the sun is directly overhead — is felt for most of the day,” said a Met official.

The Met office recorded less than 5mm of rain in Alipore, which serves as the official record-keeper for Calcutta.

Several parts of the city received more than one spell of rain. The feeling of chill was made more pronounced by breezy conditions.

There was a southerly component to the winds. They came from the direction of the Bay.

Forecast

The city sky is likely to be cloudy on Sunday as well, said a Met official.

“The day temperature is likely to stay on the lower side. The sky will start clearing from Monday or Tuesday,” said the official.

An extended range forecast issued by the Met office showed a significant slide in the Celsius around next weekend.

“By December 6-7, the minimum temperature is likely to drop to around 14-15 degrees Celsius,” the official said.