Bengal experiences spine-chilling cold; Kolkata records coldest day in past 13 years

Kolkata: Cold conditions continued unabated in West Bengal on Tuesday, with Kolkata recording the coldest day in past 13 years.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature in the city dropped to 10.2 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in Kolkata on Monday was 18.4 degrees Celsius, which is 6.7 degrees below normal.

This sharp drop in minimum temperature, coupled with the free flow of northerly winds, resulted in bone-chilling cold in Kolkata and across the state.

This is the lowest temperature in Kolkata in January in the last 13 years. On January 9, 2013, the minimum temperature in Kolkata dropped to 9 degrees Celsius. On January 22, 2003, the minimum temperature in Kolkata was 9.3 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, in some parts of the suburbs and surrounding areas, the temperature dropped below 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning.

A light blanket of fog was also observed in Kolkata from early morning. However, the surrounding districts started to be covered by dense fog from late Monday night.

This winter season has been marked by dense fog, light rain and even snowfall. These conditions are predicted to persist strongly in the weather of Bengal for the next seven days.

An official of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata's Alipore said, "Cold day conditions will prevail in nine districts of the state. These include Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur in north Bengal; and Bankura, Birbhum, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Murshidabad and Nadia districts in south Bengal."

As a result, the districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata, are likely to experience a further drop in temperature by a few degrees. On Wednesday and Thursday, the nighttime temperature in South Bengal may fall by another 2 degrees. There will be no significant change in temperature in the next 4 to 5 days. During this period, the maximum daytime temperature will also remain 3 to 5 degrees below normal.

On Tuesday, 'cold day' conditions (when the maximum daytime temperature drops significantly below normal) may prevail in parts of the two Burdwan districts, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia.

Similar 'cold day' conditions may persist in all these districts except Bankura on Wednesday. A warning for dense fog has also been issued for Murshidabad and Nadia.

In North Bengal, dense fog is expected in almost all districts for the next few days. Visibility may be reduced due to fog in the early morning hours. 'Cold day' conditions may also develop in the two Dinajpur districts and Malda in north Bengal.

Meanwhile, snowfall has occurred in Sikkim and Darjeeling. The Meteorological Department forecasts that the maximum temperature in north Bengal will remain 4 to 6 degrees Celsius below normal. Rain is also predicted in the hill areas. Rain is likely in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts on Tuesday.

There is a possibility of snowfall in the hilly areas of Darjeeling.

Snowfall is expected today in high-altitude areas like Sandakphu, Ghoom, Dhotrey and Chatakpur.

Dense fog is likely in north Bengal, particularly in Darjeeling, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur. Visibility may drop to 50 metres in some places.