Sandakphu gets year’s first snow

Deep Gazmer | TNN | Jan 24, 2018, DARJEELING: The Hills had this year's first snowfall. True to the Met office's predictions, Sandakphu, 61km from Darjeeling, and the lower areas of Tumling and Kalpokhari received snowfall for a brief period on Wednesday afternoon.

Most were left disheartened because of the short duration, but there were a few lucky tourists who had made their way to Sandakphu in the morning. "We were the lucky ones to be able to enjoy the first snowfall in this region in our second trip to the Hills. But sadly, the snowfall did not last as long as we had hoped," said Kartik Dasgupta from Kolkata.

Every year, Sandakphu-Phalut and Tiger Hill near Jorebungalow usually receive proper snowfall in January and sometimes even as late as March. However, this year, it has not been the case with experts attributing it to global warming and lack of moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal.

Anil Tamang, who operates heritage land rovers from Maneybhanjyang to Sandakphu and Phalut, said there was a short spell of snowfall in Tumling and Sandakphu from 2.30pm to 3pm. "The weather was turning favourable and it did snow, but it was brief. Global warming is affecting conditions. Only about an inch of snow accumulated. The clouds soon gave way to bright sunshine. But there is a possibility of late night snowfall," he said.

In Darjeeling town, people were expecting snow after over a decade as clouds gathered and the chill intensified. However, the wind speed picked up and there was drizzle. "The conditions seemed conducive to snowfall, but it changed suddenly and we had drizzle. Later, the sun came up. However, it was colder than other days," said Mrinal Mangar, a local.