Temperature drops in Kolkata
Prithvijit Mitra | TNN | Nov 19, 2016, KOLKATA: Even as Kolkata basked in nippy weather, Darjeeling inched closer to the freezing point on Friday. The minimum temperature rose marginally to 17.7 degrees in Kolkata, after hitting a low of 16.9 on Thursday. Darjeeling, on the other hand, recorded 5 degrees. While the hill-station was predicted to remain chilly, the cash-crunch has sucked out the enthusiasm of tourists who usually start booking accommodation for the year-end week, said tour operators.
"This is the period when we start confirming trips. But since November 9, confirmations have been rare which indicates a sharp drop in the number of tourists to Darjeeling. With the mercury sliding down, we would have expected tourists to finalize their plans. But with cash flow drying up, tourists are scared to venture out of cities. This December could be a bleak one for Darjeeling unless the demonetization impact eases out by the first week of December," said Raj Basu, travel expert and an organizer of home stays across north Bengal.
While Kolkata will continue to be nippy over the next 48 hours with the mercury hovering around the 17-18 degree-mark, Darjeeling is unlikely to have snowfall now. "The weather is set to remain dry in the hill-station. While the mercury may drop further over the next two weeks, there is yet no sign of either rain or snow," said Das. Kolkata, too, could get chillier, he added. "This November has been cooler than last year's. But the year before, temperature had dropped to 14.1 degrees. So, depending on the flow of north-westerly winds into the region, there is a possibility of the mercury sliding further," said Das.
With no system forming in Bay of Bengal, the path has been left clear for the chilly north-westerly winds to blow in, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). "The drop in mercury depends on the intensity of the wind. It has turned out to be more intense than what we had expected. We had expected the minimum temperature to drop to around 18 degrees on Thursday," said GK Das, director, RMC. It will remain around the 17 degree-mark for the next 72 hours, Das added.
0 Response to "Temperature drops in Kolkata"
Post a Comment
Disclaimer Note:
The views expressed in the articles published here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or perspective of Kalimpong News or KalimNews. Kalimpong News and KalimNews disclaim all liability for the published or posted articles, news, and information and assume no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the content.
Kalimpong News is a non-profit online news platform managed by KalimNews and operated under the Kalimpong Press Club.
Comment Policy:
We encourage respectful and constructive discussions. Please ensure decency while commenting and register with your email ID to participate.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.