, March 20 -- While Sandakphu, the highest point of Bengal, turned into a picture postcard with heavy snowfall, the lower reaches of North Bengal witnessed welcome showers that are supposed to aid agriculture, tea and mangoes as well as prevent the recent raging forest fires. The Indian Meteorological department has issued yellow weather warning for rains and thundershowers for the next few days in different districts of North Bengal.
At around 4:30 am on Wednesday, heavy snowfall commenced in Sandakphu with temperatures plummeting to below zero degrees. Sandakphu, located at an altitude of 3636 m, is also a world famous tourist destination and a trek route. It offers breathtaking views of Mount Everest, Mount Kanchenjunga and is a famous sunrise viewing spot.
"There is around 3 inches of snow from Kalpokhari onwards. There is a tourist rush with 6 vehicles carrying tourists in Sandakphu on Tuesday and a few more that went up on Wednesday," stated Chandan Pradhan, president, Singhalila Land Rover Owners' Association. "The rain is due to the presence of an upper air trough. There is a North South trough extending from North Bengal and Sikkim to the Bay of Bengal with strong incursion of moisture from the Bay of Bengal. This weather will continue for the next few days with the upper reaches experiencing rain and the lower reaches rain and thundershowers," stated Dr Gopi Nath Raha of IMD, Gangtok. Darjeeling witnessed 14mm of rain with minimum temperature dipping to 3.2 degree C. Siliguri recorded a minimum temperature of 18.3 degree C. The rain has resulted in the dipping of soaring temperatures in the plains bringing relief.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.