KOLKATA: If you plan to ring in the new year under the open sky, make sure to bring your woollens. Even though the mercury may not slide significantly, the wind could be piercing and chilly on New Year’s Eve, warned the Met office.
On January 1, the minimum temperature is set to drop below 12°C and could remain there for at least another day. On Wednesday, Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 12.6°C.
With the northwesterly wind set to gather pace on Thursday, it could get chillier, said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das. “On Wednesday, it had a speed of about 10km/hr. It could rise to 20km/hr-25km/hr on Thursday, which will make it significantly windy and chilly on New Year’s Eve. The wind will carry in the chill and make the temperature plunge. However, we don’t expect a sharp drop on Thursday,” said Das.
It has started getting chilly in central India and there has been a fresh temperature drop across north India, Das added. “Once the no-rthwesterly wind gathers momentum, the impact of the chill will be felt in Kolkata and south Bengal,” he added.
Some western districts — like Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum — could see a dip in temperature on Thursday. “These districts will receive the northwesterly wind early,” said Das.