Mercury dips, winter creeps in early in city

The South-west monsoon has bid adieu to the city, completing its withdrawal from the state. There is a nip in the air. Winds from the snow laden Himalayas have started blowing into the city.

The mercury too has already started dropping. Now the public frequently asks are these the real signs of winter or is it just a deception.

The Regional Meteorological Centre - Kolkata is hopeful that if no significant weather system develops over the Bay of Bengal, the mercury will start dipping gradually.

The presence of winter is felt at the crack of dawn when a cool breeze welcomes the sunlight. Winter will appear in full bloom much before mid of November, the usual time of arrival in Kolkata, the citizens expect.

The minimum temperature on Sunday at 23.4 degree Celsius had been one of the lowest for this particular date in the past six years. Already two degrees down from the normal mark, the mercury on Sunday, however, was 0.1 degree higher that October 16, 2012. With the sky expected to remain clear of clouds, the night’s temperature will be below the normal mark for now.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday had also recorded lower temperature than earlier years. Winter in Kolkata extends from mid-November to January and peaks around New Year. The first half of November remains above 30°C.

“November 14, 2015, is still remembered as the hottest day of this month as maximum touched 34.9°C. Winter crawls in by the second fortnight of November and the first bite of winter is felt as maximums drops below 30°C.

Maximum temperature recorded on Friday was 28.8°C and minimum 16.8°C. In fact, last few days witnessed pleasant weather with maximums below 30°C.

With pleasant days and cool mornings, winter is the most preferred season in this city.

The good news is that if the weather remains the same, the city would enjoy a normal winter in some weeks.

The wintry feel has been started blossoming. The humidity-induced cloud cover had earlier blocked out the cold but now the cool breeze has started flowing.