Temp in city dips to 14.40C, New Year to be warmer

KOLKATA: Bengal has seen a sudden drop in the temperature on Thursday with mercury sliding down to 14.4 degree Celsius.

Several districts in the South Bengal witnessed thick fog early in the morning.

The temperature dropped by 6 degree Celsius in the past 24 hours. The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore predicted that the weather will remain unchanged in the next 24 hours. Mercury may again slightly go up on Saturday.

There has been a steady flow of cold north wind into the south Bengal districts.

A western disturbance is expected to enter northwest India as a result the mercury will go up by 2-3 degrees in all the states in the northwestern parts of the country.

The MeT office said that mercury may go up by 2-3 degree Celsius from Saturday as a result the city dwellers may witness comparatively hotter days on December 31 and January 1.

Kolkata recorded the highest temperature this December with the mercury dropping at 20.7 degree Celsius on Tuesday which was 7 degree above normal. In 2004, the city had registered such a high temperature in December for the last time.

The lowest temperature had been recorded at 20.4 degree Celsius on December 21 in 2004.

Bengal has been witnessing fluctuating weather for the past few days.

The rise and fall in mercury in quick succession are causing health hazards among people. The Alipore weather office had said that the mercury would drop again from next Friday. Normally, the lowest temperature remains at around 14 and 15 degree Celsius in the last week of December.

There had been an incursion of moisture from the sea due to a low pressure in south Bay of Bengal taking the mercury up.