Siliguri and the surrounding areas, along with the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, experienced a sudden bout of intense rainfall on Wednesday evening and night after a gap of around four months.
The Darjeeling hills and the contiguous plains of north Bengal and Sikkim are expected to experience similar weather conditions for the next few days, said officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has issued the yellow (primary) alert for different parts of Sikkim, which will remain in effect until March 16. IMD officials have said thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds and heavy rainfall, have been forecast in several areas of north Bengal and Sikkim.
“The weather has changed because of a cyclonic circulation, combined with a strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal. This has influenced atmospheric conditions across the region, and the current weather is expected to persist until the middle of next week,” said G.N. Raha, a meteorologist posted in the regional Met office in Gangtok.
According to him, there is also a forecast of intense spells of rain and snowfall in the higher altitudes of Sikkim, including Gangtok, Gyalshing, Namchi, Soreng, Mangan, and Pakyong.
“A similar forecast of heavy rain has also been issued for the districts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri for at least the next 48 hours, with rainfall ranging between 70mm and 110mm expected in some areas,” he said.
“Thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds of 40–50km per hour and lightning, are also likely to occur in most parts of north Bengal,” Raha added.
A tea planter based in Siliguri said: “The rainfall is required for the first and second flush teas. We are happy that it rained yesterday and there is a forecast of more rainfall.”
On Thursday late evening, Siliguri recorded another intense bout of downpour, coupled with lightning
and thunder.