Sudden change in temperature lead to heavy snowfall in Darjeeling and Sikkim

|HT|

Tourist vehicles were stranded in many areas as Darjeeling in West Bengal and the neighbouring state of Sikkim received heavy snowfall early on Wednesday. The snowfall is expected to attract more tourists to the hills, but locals in high-altitude areas of Sikkim such as Lachung have urged them to avoid visiting the region until the weather improves. The snow disrupted normal life in parts of Sikkim as electricity and mobile networks were cut off. The army earlier rescued over 1,000 tourists stranded near the India-China border in eastern Sikkim on Sunday.

“The weather was warm in Lachung till Tuesday evening. The weather changed suddenly and [the temperature] dipped below zero [degrees Celsius], resulting in massive snowfall since the early hours of Wednesday. This would surely attract more tourists,” said Bikash Tamang, a driver who ferries tourists.

Residents said roads leading to tourist destinations such as Nathu La, Gurudongmar, Yumthang and Tsomgo lake were covered with snow and become slippery and dangerous to drive.

In Sandakphu, the highest point in West Bengal, the temperature dropped below zero degrees Celsius. “Places such as Tiger Hill, one of the most popular places in Darjeeling to watch the sunrise and Mt Kancendzonga, receive snowfall. But Wednesday’s snowfall was massive. The entire Tiger Hill has come under a blanket of snow,” said Thupden Lama, a resident of Ghoom Jorebunglow, around 9km from Darjeeling.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)