West Bengal: Mercury to rise in southern districts, dip in north

Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) The southern districts of West Bengal are likely to get a respite from the biting cold as minimum temperatures are likely to rise by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next two days, the IMD said on Thursday.

Minimum temperatures in the sub-Himalayan districts are likely to remain similar for the next two days and thereafter gradually decrease by two to three notches, further intensifying the winter chill in the northern parts of the state.

Dry weather is likely to prevail across the state for the next seven days, except in the Darjeeling district, where some places may experience light rain or snow until Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Shallow to moderate fog is likely in the morning hours for the next three to four days, it said.

The hill tourist town of Darjeeling was the coldest in the state on the first day of 2026 at 5 degrees Celsius, it added.

Sriniketan in Birbhum district and Kalyani in Nadia district were the coldest in the state's plains at 7.5 degrees Celsius.

The other places where the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius are Alipurduar (8), Barrackpur (8), Suri (8), Raiganj (9), Magra (9) and Bardhaman (9).

Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 11.6 degrees Celsius, over two notches below normal. PTI AMR SOM