Cold wave deepens across Bengal as temperatures dip in Kolkata, districts

A deeper winter calm has descended over West Bengal, with the cold spell sharpening on Saturday as temperatures slid further across Kolkata and large parts of the state. Powered by brisk northerly winds streaming freely into the region, the chill is set to persist for several more days, ensuring crisp mornings and piercingly cold nights.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, the free flow of cold winds has ushered in a pronounced drop in temperatures, accompanied by blankets of fog drifting across large parts of the state. The capital city felt the nip keenly: after a brief uptick, Kolkata’s minimum temperature slipped again to 11.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday — around 2.5 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature, too, remained subdued at 22.6 degrees Celsius, falling more than two degrees short of the seasonal average.

Fog has added to the wintry mood. Meteorologists have issued a fog warning across West Bengal, forecasting light to moderate fog in several districts of south Bengal during the morning hours, with visibility dipping to between 999 and 200 metres. In some areas, the mist may linger well into midday. North Bengal faces even thicker veils, with dense fog predicted in districts such as Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur, where visibility could shrink to as low as 50 metres. Despite the gloom, dry weather is set to prevail across the state.

In an unusual twist, parts of south Bengal are currently colder than much of the north. Except for Darjeeling, which recorded the state’s lowest minimum temperature at a piercing 3.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, several southern districts have plunged further than their northern counterparts. Sriniketan in Birbhum emerged as one of the coldest spots after Darjeeling, with the mercury sliding to 6.6 degrees Celsius.

The cold made its presence felt widely. Temperatures fell below 10 degrees Celsius in many districts, with Kalyani recording 7.7 degrees, Bankura 7.2 degrees, Burdwan and Kalaikunda 8.6 degrees each, Asansol 8.8 degrees, Berhampore 8.6 degrees and Suri 8.2 degrees. Coastal and western districts were not spared either, as Uluberia, Digha, Contai and Jhargram hovered around the 9-degree mark. Purulia and Panagarh recorded 9.4 degrees, Barrackpore 9.8 degrees, while Krishnanagar and Diamond Harbour stood just above 10 degrees.

In north Bengal, the chill was gentler but still pronounced. Kalimpong recorded a minimum of 8.3 degrees Celsius, while Malda, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Raiganj and Balurghat all dipped below 10 degrees.

As cold winds continue to sweep across the state and fog cloaks mornings in a silvery haze, West Bengal braces for a few more days under winter’s firm embrace.

With IANS inputs