Kolkata: After more than seven weeks, the minimum temperature crossed the 17°C mark and hit a high of 17.9°C on Friday, which was 3.2 notches above the normal mark. While the gradual surge in temperature suggests hot and sweaty days ahead, the Alipore Met office indicated a return of the cool vibe around the second week of Feb.According to the Met office, back-to-back western disturbances passing through parts of northern India is disturbing the flow of the north-westerly wind and pushing the mercury up. “At least three consecutive western disturbances are likely to pass through the northern regions till Feb 5. When these systems come one by one, the cold-bearing north-westerly wind will not reach our region, resulting in the rise in mercury,” said meteorologist HR Biswas, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata.The last time the city recorded a minimum temperature in the 17°C bracket this winter was on Dec 5, after which the mercury started dipping, signalling the arrival of the cold days. In fact, the very next day it plunged to 14.5°C. Despite it shooting above normal occasionally in Dec, on most days it remained below normal and gave Kolkata the chilliest New Year’s Eve in eight years when it slipped to 11°C on Dec 31.The chill factor stepped in style on Jan 1, with the Met office recording 11.6°C in Kolkata, and it plunged to Jan’s lowest in 13 years on the sixth day of the month, when it plummeted to 10.2°C. While it stayed below normal on 20 days of the month so far, on the 10 occasions when it surged above normal, the variation was only marginal.The Met office expects the minimum and maximum temperatures to hover between 16°C and 17°C, and 26°C and 28°C, respectively, in the next few days.“We can expect the minimum temperature to dip slightly by Saturday, but there will be no significant change in the temperature in the next seven days. While an extended forecast may not be as accurate as a week’s forecast, our analysis indicates the mercury is likely to dip again by the second week of Feb,” added Biswas.While a western disturbance can trigger winter rain in parts of north India and snowfall at higher altitudes, the system indirectly impacts the weather in the city only as an aftermath. The Met officials explained that once a strong western disturbance passes, the city sky gets foggy and the north-westerly wind also starts to blow in, making both day and night a bit colder. The Met office expects a break from the western disturbances after Jan 5, opening up the deck for the mercury to fall in Kolkata.
