Hail and thunder squall paint Darjeeling, adjacent areas white

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 17 February 2019 | Darjeeling: Darjeeling town and surrounding areas along with other regions in the Hills including Darjeeling, Kalimpong and neighbouring Jalpaiguri district witnessed thunder squall on Saturday.

The skies were overcast from the morning and at around 1:30 pm, it started to rain followed by hail.

It continued for more than 30 minutes enveloping the whole town in white.

The hail froze on the streets making it very slippery. Vehicular traffic also moved at a snail's pace with the roads becoming dangerous. Serpentine traffic jams ensued.

Tourists had anticipated snowfall. "We are enjoying the hail but praying that it snows," stated Debasish Ganguly, a tourist from Kolkata. However, as it continued to rain, sleet and snow remained elusive. Day temperatures hovered at around 6 degree Celsius.

Darjeeling town had witnessed very light snowfall and sleet on December 28, 2018 and January 29 this year.

Kurseong, Kalimpong, Gorubathan, Jaldhaka, Siliguri, Malbazar and other areas witnessed thunder squalls.

"The rain, thunder squalls and hail are due to the interaction of Westerly and Easterly winds along with the Western disturbances," stated the MeT office.

The streets wore a deserted look after dark as shopkeepers and business establishments downed shutters early.