Chill back with snow and rain in north

Sandakphu

TT, Siliguri: Rain, hailstorms and snow lashed north Bengal on Thursday, sending the mercury plunging to 3.8 degrees Celsius in Darjeeling town and bringing back snow that prompted the evacuation of tourists from Sikkim's Changu Lake.

Siliguri, Malda and most other places in the plains saw rain and hailstorms, paving the way for the return of the chill and prompting residents to pull out their woollens they had been almost stacked away for the next winter.

The Met has forecast similar conditions in the hills and Sikkim -- including a thunderstorm in the next 24 hours with a speed of 45kmph -- for the next few days but said the weather would brighten up in the plains from Friday.

The rain, hail and snow have been caused by a western disturbance hovering over the sub-Himalayan north Bengal and Sikkim that has drawn moisture-laden winds to the region. The weather in neighbouring Bhutan was similar.

The temperature slid to 8 degrees Celsius in Kalimpong and 5.7 degrees in Gangtok. Sandakphu, the highest point in Bengal located in the hills, had snowfall on Thursday.