As the countdown to New Year celebrations begins, only a few hours remain before the auspicious start of the 26th. Picnics, parties, dining and shopping plans are in full swing, and people are clearly in a festive mood. Adding to the atmosphere, the weather is playing along.
From north to south, temperatures are dropping rapidly, making the year-end noticeably colder across Bengal. In fact, Bengalis experienced the coldest day of the season as the year came to a close, with districts almost competing over how low the mercury could fall.
According to the weather department, Tuesday morning temperatures stood at 4 degrees Celsius in Darjeeling, 8.3 degrees Celsius in Kalimpong, 9.5 in Malda, 7.2 in Suri in Birbhum, 7.8 in Asansol, 8 in Bankura, 7 in Kalyani, 9.2 in Panagarh, 9.3 in Kharagpur and 9.5 degrees in Magra.
The lowest temperature in South Bengal was recorded at 6.5 degrees Celsius in Sriniketan, Birbhum, while North Bengal saw a minimum of 3.4 degrees Celsius in Darjeeling. Kolkata registered a minimum temperature of 11 degrees.
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Since morning, many areas have been wrapped in a thick blanket of fog. West Bardhaman witnessed the densest fog, while moderate fog was reported in North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore.
Dense fog is expected to continue in several districts over the next few days. Morning fog is likely to dominate Birbhum, West Bardhaman, East and West Midnapore, and Jhargram.
In parts of North Bengal, visibility may fall below 50 metres. The weather office has also indicated that there will be little change in temperatures during the first few days of the new year. However, towards the end of the week, temperatures may drop further by two to three degrees.
