Sikkim, North Bengal receive fresh snowfall

Sikkim, Feb 5: Many parts of Sikkim and adjoining North Bengal received fresh snowfall, plummeting temperatures across the Himalayan and Dooars regions, the MeT Department said on Saturday.

Snowfall was witnessed in the upper reaches of Gangtok and its surrounding areas, Ralang and Ravangla in South Sikkim, Chewangbhanjyang, Okhray, Hilley and Barsey in West Sikkim and many areas of North Sikkim on Friday and early on Saturday.

Darjeeling, Chatakpur, Ghoom, Sandakphu and Phalut in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, and Lava in neighbouring Kalimpong district also received snowfall.

Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and Alipurduar districts in the Dooars region received rain coupled with chilly winds.

Also Read: Rainfall expected in Northeast India in the next two weeks? Check Forecast

Foggy weather conditions and low visibility due to it forced most people to stay indoors, barring tourists from the plains who flocked the hills to witness the snowfall.

“The change in weather was caused due to western disturbances. The situation is expected to improve from Saturday evening onwards,” Gopinath Raha, Director of India Meteorological Department, Gangtok, said.

The minimum temperature in Gangtok was 1.7 degrees Celsius, while the Gangtok-Tadong station recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, the weatherman said.

Remnants of Western Disturbances have caused fairly widespread rainfall/thunderstorm activity over Northeast India on three to four days and scattered to fairly widespread rainfall/thunderstorm activity over Sub Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim on one or two days.