At 12.9°C, Kolkata shivers through season’s coldest morning

Kolkata: Large parts of Bengal, including Kolkata, experienced a sharp winter chill, with the city waking up to one of the coldest mornings so far this season.

According to the Alipore Meteorological Office, the minimum temperature in Kolkata dropped to 12.9 °C, falling into the low 12°C range for the first time this winter — marking the coldest day of the season in the region.

This drop is below the typical December temperatures and continues a trend of lower-than-normal readings recorded over recent days. On Christmas Day, the minimum in the city was around 13.7 °C, and earlier in the week it dipped to 14.4 °C. Across West Bengal, the chill is more pronounced in the western districts, where early-morning lows hover between about 7 °C and 10 °C, while some coastal areas are slightly warmer, recording lows in the 11 °C–14 °C range.

Meteorologists say the temperature drop will continue through the weekend before stabilizing for a few days. A western disturbance could bring a gradual rise in temperatures from around December 31, though significant warmup is not expected immediately.

The cold spell has also been accompanied by occasional dense fog in the early mornings, prompting advisories for drivers due to reduced visibility. Residents are advised to bundle up, as the winter chill settles in more firmly across the region in the final week of December.