Kolkata: Kolkata recorded its coldest Christmas Day morning in nine years on Thursday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 13.7 degrees Celsius — the lowest of the season so far.
The city saw the mercury dip below 14 degrees Celsius on Christmas Day for only the second time since 2016. On December 25, 2016, the minimum temperature had touched 13.4 degrees Celsius.
The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore said the minimum temperature could fall by another two to three degrees over the next two days. Several parts of Kolkata and south Bengal districts remained shrouded in fog during the early morning hours.
A yellow alert for dense fog has been issued for several south Bengal districts, with visibility likely to drop to between 50 and 200 metres in some areas. Light to moderate fog is also expected in Kolkata.
As the day progressed, city residents wrapped in sweaters and jackets stepped out to celebrate Christmas. Large crowds thronged popular destinations such as Alipore Zoological Garden, Eco Park, Science City, Victoria Memorial and the Indian Museum, along with other amusement parks across the city. Christmas was celebrated with enthusiasm, with lakhs of people visiting their preferred locations.
The weather office said temperatures would continue to fall over the weekend as the intensity of northerly winds increases across the state. A series of western disturbances has moved away from north India, allowing colder winds to flow into the region. The lowest temperature in south Bengal was recorded at Sriniketan in Birbhum district at 8.5 degrees Celsius. Other minimums included Bankura (9.1), Asansol (10.4), Barrackpore (13), Burdwan (10), Diamond Harbour (13), Midnapore (12.6) and Berhampore (10.4) degrees Celsius.
In north Bengal, temperatures dropped to 8 degrees Celsius in Alipurduar, 10.1 in Cooch Behar and 10.5 in Kalimpong. A dense fog warning was issued for Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur districts. Darjeeling recorded the lowest temperature in the region at 4.5 degrees Celsius.