Winter chill ready to greet City of Joy, temperature to dip from Saturday

Kolkata: City-dwellers may feel the winter chill from next week, as the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore has predicted the possibility of the temperature going down from Saturday.

With the month of November having come to an end, the city people are expecting winter to set in. A weather official said the Northern wind that brings the winter chill is likely to be intensified by the end of this week. He also said that the sky in some parts may remain cloudy on Friday.

In the next few days, the lowest temperature will hover around 15-13 degree Celsius. People may feel the cold from the beginning of next week, predicted the weather office. According to a senior official of the Alipore MeT office, the city's sky may remain cloudy in the next 24 hours and it will be gradually clear from Saturday, bringing down the temperature by a few notches.

The Northern wind that brings cold in the city may start sweeping through the city from Saturday. As a result of this, the people in South Bengal districts may witness a dip in the temperature, a senior official of the weather office said.

It may be mentioned here that as the season changes from autumn to winter, the mixed weather condition contributes towards health problems like cough and cold and sometimes viral fever. As the temperature remains above a certain limit in the beginning of December, there is always a possibility of people being affected with various ailments.

However, diseases like dengue which affected some people in the city and its suburbs in the previous few months, have subsided as the temperature started going down. According to the experts, the Aedes Aegypti larvae cannot survive if the temperature drops below a certain limit.

With the season changing, the city doctors have prescribed some home remedies so that people can stay fit and disease-free. City based physician Dr S Biswas advised people not to take allopathic medicines frequently in case of a cold, as they might have some adverse side-effects. He suggested that people affected with cold and sore throat must gurgle with warm water by adding a pinch of salt to it. Children must wear adequate warm clothes while stepping out of their homes.

One can try steam inhalation if he/she is down with cough and cold. If a person is affected with fever, he/she must consult a doctor immediately.