Bengal’s Purulia at 12°C, cooler than hill stations in north as unexpected cold wave sweeps south districts

While several districts in northern part of the state, like Jalpaiguri recorded a minimum of 16.9°C, followed by Alipurduar 17.0°C, Cooch Behar 15.7°C, Raiganj 17.5°C, and Malda 20.2°C, the minimum temperature dropped to 13 degrees Celsius in Sriniketan and 14 degrees Celsius in Jhargram.

Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, nearly two notches below normal, while the maximum temperature on Monday stood at 27.5 degrees Celsius, 2.7 notches above average, it said.

Day and night temperatures in the state are likely to remain more or less the same over the next few days owing to the prevailing dry weather, it added.

The Met Department (IMD), meanwhile, has predicted a gradual decrease in temperature across the Gangetic West Bengal in the coming days. The western districts are particularly vulnerable to this cold wave.

“Dense fog has enveloped several south and north Bengal districts, significantly reducing visibility. The northern districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Malda North, and Dinajpur South are experiencing the most severe fog conditions, with visibility dropping to as low as 50-200 metres, the Met Department warned .

Meanwhile, a cyclone is also currently over south Bangladesh, which may indirectly influence the weather patterns in West Bengal, officials said. However, there is no immediate threat of rain or thunderstorms in the state, according to the IMD.