Lowest temp in city stands at above 20 degree Celsius

kolkata: Lowest temperature in Kolkata was registered above 20 degree Celsius on Thursday which was four degrees above normal.

A few North Bengal districts such as Darjeeling and Kalimpong are expected to receive rainfall in the next 48 hours while some parts may witness hailstorms as well. A fog alert has been issued for Coochbehar and Alipurduar after the prediction of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore.

The Meteorological Office (MeT) said that people in West Bengal will continue to witness fluctuating weather with a rise and fall in temperature till February 15 following which the winter cold will withdraw from the state. The lowest temperature remained at 20.1 degree Celsius on Thursday. The highest temperature was recorded at 30.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday from what stood at 29.9 degrees on Tuesday.

Mercury will go up further over the weekend.

Due to fog, the ferry services between Kakdwip and Kachuberia were suspended for over two and a half hours starting from 5.30 am. As the fog cleared, the ferry services resumed after 8 am. According to the MeT office prediction, both North and South Bengal districts will witness foggy weather in the next few days.

There will be light to moderate fog in various south Bengal districts like North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata, and East Midnapore. South Bengal will mostly experience dry weather while some North Bengal districts will receive light rainfall.

There might be a slight dip in the temperature on February 14 after which mercury will again rise. The MeT office on Monday predicted that mercury would slide up by four degree Celsius in the city in the next three to four days. On Sunday, Kolkata registered the lowest temperature of the day at 15 degrees Celsius.

The MeT office said that a western disturbance would enter the northwest parts of the country bringing snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and light rainfall in some parts. The steady blow of cold north winds had been interrupted due to the impact of the western disturbances.

Meanwhile, fluctuating weather and the rise and fall in the mercury in quick succession are causing health hazards among people, said city doctors.

Public health experts have also cautioned that people should be careful against viral infection as the lowest temperature has been hovering around 20 degree Celsius.