The regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted a few spells of rain in West Bengal, including in Kolkata, on Wednesday and Thursday. The IMD has also said that from Wednesday, the mercury may rise 2-3 degrees Celsius after the rain. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Kolkata continued to grapple with a persistent cold spell with the morning seeing a dense fog cover. The city also witnessed wind blowing at a speed of 9 km/hour and clocked a 56% humidity. The minimum temperature is expected to be around 13.6 degrees Celsius in Kolkata on Tuesday. In West Bengal’s Purulia district, one of the coldest places in the southern parts of the state, the mercury is poised to touch 7.1 degrees Celsius, just a notch above Monday's minimum of 6.1 degrees Celsius. Across Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum and the neighbouring western districts, the lowest temperature is expected to hover between 10 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius. The northern parts of the state, including Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar, are in the grip of very dense fog covers and cold temperatures. The IMD has also predicted a possibility of a hailstorm in Kalimpong on Wednesday, with possibilities of rain or snow in other areas on Tuesday. In Darjeeling, temperatures are expected to dip to 5.8 degrees Celsius. This is not the first time Kolkata is experiencing a cold spell. An official of the IMD office in Kolkata’s Alipore said, “In 2023, Kolkata experienced the lowest temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius on January 6, followed by 11.7 degrees Celsius on January 30, 2022, and 11.2 degrees Celsius on December 20, 2021.”
