Expect long cool spell after skies clear up tomorrow: Cyclone Pethai; Wednesday

KOLKATA: Cyclone Phethai, which hit the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kankinada in the afternoon, triggered strong winds and light drizzle in Kolkata on Monday. The cloud cover narrowed down the gap between the day’s minimum and maximum temperatures to less than 4°C. It will start getting cooler from Wednesday once the skies clear up and the mercury could plunge below 13°C by the end of the week, said the Met office.

On Monday, Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 17.8°C while the maximum slid to 21.6°C.
An early morning spell of shower looked threatening but the rain remained restricted to light drizzles during the rest of the day. The thick cloud cover and the wind, however, kept the mercury in check. The RealFeel temperature dropped to 16°C in the evening, according to a private weather forecasting service. RealFeel temperature is calculated on the basis of factors like temperature, humidity, altitude, wind speed and direction and intensity of sun rays.
“We expect the chill to intensify over the next four days. Once the cloud cover goes by Wednesday, the cool northwesterly wind will start blowing in. It will make the temperature drop gradually to under 13°C,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director GK Das.
Meanwhile, cyclone Phethai lost some of its intensity before landfall and eventually hit Kankinada as a cyclonic storm that was not ‘severe’. The wind speed was a moderate 80km/hr. “The cyclone was not as fierce as it had threatened to be till 24 hours before hitting land. Unfavourable weather conditions made it lose some of its sting,” said a weather scientist.
Kolkata is expected receive drizzles on Tuesday as well. But barring one moderate spell, the drizzles could be light. “The minimum temperature may drop to 16°C on Tuesday. But as the cloud cover starts receding, the day temperature will rise marginally and may touch 23°C. While the first half of Tuesday could continue to be gloomy, we expect the drizzles to stop in the afternoon. The skies should be clear on Wednesday, triggering a mercury slide,” added Das.
It could turn out to be a long cool spell for the city, indicated weathermen. “With no cloud or system in sight and the north-westerly in full flow, the conditions are ideal for a chilly spell. A sharp drop in temperature is imminent and it should continue to persist at least for three days,” said the weather scientist.