Chill set to ride cyclone

TT, Jan. 4: The Celsius slid today to 16.1 degrees, still three notches above normal, but on course to usher in the chill that Calcutta has been waiting for after being cold-shouldered for most of the past fortnight.

Chill-laden winds are being pulled inland by a cyclonic circulation gaining strength on the Bay of Bengal near the Andamans, the weather office said. The minimum temperature on Tuesday was 17.3 degrees Celsius, four rungs above normal. The Celsius is projected to drop to 15 degrees tomorrow and 14 by Friday. The cold spell would continue for at least two to three days after that, according to the extended forecast.

Whether the temperature drops further or stagnates over the weekend and next week would depend on how much the cyclonic circulation intensifies and what route it adopts, weather scientists said.

Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in the Andaman islands over the next few days under the influence of this weather system. This would be bad news for tourists, as was the case last month in the wake of Cyclone Vardah.

"The cyclonic circulation will intensify into a low-pressure area on Thursday and a depression by Friday. The stronger it gets, greater will be the intensity with which it pulls cold winds from north India," said Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, deputy director-general of IMD Calcutta.

Last year, January 25 was the coldest day of the month with a minimum temperature of 11.3 degrees Celsius.