KOLKATA: The mercury slipping 3°C below the normal mark for two consecutive days - Sunday and Monday - had given hope of winter's arrival but the temperature started climbing up on Tuesday. Despite the nip in the air, winter is still away and the Met office expects the mercury to rise further and hover between 20°C and 22°C over the next few days.
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"We expect the mercury to climb up to the normal mark or slightly above that from Wednesday. The temperature falling below normal was only a temporary phase. It was triggered by the gush of northwesterly wind. Now we have the wet easterly wind system and hence there is no chance of further dip in the temperature," said GK Das, director (weather) at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kolkata.
Due to snowfall in the higher reaches in Northern India last week, the dry and cold northwesterly wind had started blowing into the city, pushing down the mercury. It had slipped below 20°C last Friday for the first time since March. At 19.8°C, it was two degrees below the normal mark. It went further down to 18.3°C and 18.5°C in the next two days.
Now the easterly wind is blowing in moisture into the city, facilitating the night temperature to rise above normal. On Tuesday, it stood at 20°C. It could jump up by two notches by Wednesday.
"Under normal conditions, the city starts feeling the winter chill by around the second week of December. Before this, there could be phases of the mercury swing," added Das.
The Met office expects nip in the air early n the morning but it will not stay for long. Along with the night temperature, the maximum temperature will also be slightly above the normal mark.