Kolkatans to enjoy winter ahead of Christmas as mercury takes nosedive

Kolkata: The mercury dropped further on Sunday making it the coldest day of the season so far with the lowest temperature remaining around 14.5 degree Celsius, one degree below normal in the city and its surrounding areas.

The regional meteorological department at Alipore predicted that the temperature will drop further in the next few days. City dwellers are expected to feel the winter chill before Christmas. According to the weather office, the city's sky will remain clear in next 24 hours which will bring down the temperature by a few notches.

As the level of humidity is high in the city, the air is filled with mist, especially in the morning. According to the weather experts, temperature will drop once humidity level sees a dip.

City-based doctors have warned that if the temperature does not fall, it would affect the health of people. There is always a possibility of people falling ill if the winter cold does not set in at the right time and its already the middle of December.

The weather experts have, however, assured that city dwellers will feel the winter chill before Christmas. The mercury already went down by two degree Celsius on Sunday. The temperature of the city and its adjoining areas remained at 16.9 degree Celsius.

Due to the low pressure trough formed over Bay of Bengal in the last week, normal flow of the winter chill had got interrupted. Even after the low pressure trough moved away, it hardly had any impact on the weather because of the humidity level remaining high in the air.

A western disturbance over Kashmir also delayed the process of uninterrupted flow of cold wind, putting brakes on the North-Westerly wind bringing the cold air. When a western disturbance develops, it affects the North-Westerly wind, inducing cyclonic circulation over regions in the north and north- west. As a result, moisture infusion takes place from Bay of Bengal, bringing a rise in the temperature.

With mercury having started dipping, several city hangouts have seen huge footfall on Sunday, with revellers visiting their places of interest. Many of the people were seen wrapped in their fashionable woollen clothing while visiting the spots.

There was a long queue in front of ticket counters at the Alipore zoo. Several visitors had to wait for over an hour for their turn to get inside.

Eco Park in New Town has also seen huge footfall. People were seen basking in the sun on Sunday afternoon. Many preferred to enjoy the different boat rides. Almost all food stalls were occupied most of the time. There were queues in many stalls. People also thronged Millennium Park, Victoria Memorial and various other places in the city.