City experiences coldest winter in seven years

Kolkata, Jan 12 (PTI) The metropolis today experiencedthe coldest winter in the last seven years with the mercurydipping to 9.6 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal.

A cold wave has gripped entire West Bengal even as theweatherman has forecast a further fall in temperature.

"Had it been 9.5 degrees, we would have declared a coldwave condition in the city", Regional Director of MET office,G C Debnath said.

Cold wave condition triggered by incursion of chillynortherly winds would continue for the next 24 hours, he said.

Almost the entire state was reeling under an intensecold spell with Darjeeling being the coldest recording minusone degree.

North Bengal district of Malda recorded a minimum of4.6 degrees followed by Nadia (5.1 degrees), Burdwan (5.5degrees), Birbhum (six degrees), Bankura (6.1 degrees), South24 Parganas (8.8 degrees) and Howrah (10 degrees).

Dum Dum on the outskirts of the city recorded 8.4degrees, five degrees below normal, and Canning in South 24Parganas recorded 7.4 degrees.

While the last coldest day in Kolkata was January 22,2003 when the mercury dipped to 9.3 degrees, the cityexperienced the coldest day in December 1966 when the mercurydipped to 7.2 degrees.