Straight answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Kusum Kr Chakrabarty</span><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">, Deputy Director General, Regional Meteorological Centre, On when winter will finally set in </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is winter arriving late this year?</span><br /><br />Winter is gradually advancing in Kolkata this year.But I wouldn''t say it''s late. Currently, the minimum temperature is 16-17 0C, and it will drop after December 15. The 10-year average between December 1 and 15 is 15 0C. But there may be variations. Speaking of an ideal situation, January and February are the two winter months, while in December, when winter sets in, one can only get a gradual drop in temperature.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">But how do you explain a sudden drop in temperature in November? Is there some external atmospheric influence even now? </span><br /><br />There is a Western disturbance, which is currently going on. There is also an incursion from the Bay of Bengal. Both these atmospheric influences have blocked out the cold, due to which the temperature may not have dipped as expected. Even in November, there were sudden rainfalls in the north along with a depression in the air, which is why it was chilly for a few days. But as was expected, winter can never set in so early. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is there a fixed time for the onset of winter in Kolkata?</span><br /><br />No, there is no fixed date for winter to set in at any place in the world and it''s the same in this city as well. Though, October, November and December are the post-monsoon months, you can feel the nip in the air from the beginning of December. But there are variations due to which sometimes winter comes in a little early and sometimes arrives later. <br /></div> </div>