Tourists visiting Kalimpong and places like Tadong (near Gangtok) in the neighbouring Sikkim in the past few days are wondering whether they have ascended to the hills to enjoy the chill, as a heat wave-like condition is persisting in north Bengal, including some places in the upper region.
“The southwest monsoon has already set in and there were showers last week. However, in the past few days, the maximum temperature crossed 30 degrees Celsius at many places in the hills. In the plains, the mercury inched close to the 40-degree mark. The absence of moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal has led to the hot spell in the region,” said Gopinath Raha, a meteorologist posted at the regional Met office in Gangtok.
Sources in the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the temperature above 40 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees or more in the hilly regions was considered a heat wave.
A deserted road because of the scorching heat at Rangapani near Siliguri on Friday. Picture by Passang Yolmo
On Thursday and Friday, the maximum temperature in Kalimpong reached 31 degrees, making local people and tourists perspire.
“It was not much different from the plains. Some tourists who reached my place were sweating and sat under the fan to beat the heat. They even enquired with us whether such weather actually persists in the town,” said Dinesh Lama, who runs an eatery in the hill town.
On Friday, the day temperature in Tadong near Gangtok was 32.7 degrees Celsius, while Gangtok recorded a maximum temperature of 27.8 degrees Celsius.
“Today’s maximum temperature in Gangtok is the second highest in the past 46 years,” said Raha.
In Darjeeling, the mercury reached the 24.8-degree mark on Friday, while it was 36 degrees Celsius in Siliguri. The neighbouring town of Jalpaiguri recorded a temperature of 38.2 degrees Celsius, while in Alipurduar, it was 37 degrees.
According to the data from the IMD, it rained 58 per cent less in the Darjeeling district from June 1 to 13. The deficiency is around 64 per cent in Kalimpong, 49 per cent in Jalpaiguri, and 29 per cent in the Alipurduar district.
Similarly, in Sikkim, it rained 46 per cent less during the June 1-13 period
“The day temperature might go up, but regular bouts of rainfall during monsoons bring some relief to us. These days, there is hardly rainfall in the region, barring a sudden bout in Siliguri,” said Atanu Das, a Jalpaiguri resident.
People associated with the conservation of nature and biodiversity pointed out that rapid urbanisation and depletion of forest cover led to a change in the weather in
the region.
“Temperature is rising across the globe and our region is not an exception. Surprisingly, the day temperature in some hill towns has crossed the 30-degree mark. A concerted effort to conserve the green cover is necessary, or else, we will face more hot summer days,” said Animesh Bose, an environmentalist in Siliguri.
Weather experts, however, assured that people in north Bengal and Sikkim would soon get a respite.
“The rains are likely to start from this weekend. It will bring down the day temperature. In the coming days of June, we expect that there will be adequate precipitation to make up the deficiency that has been observed till Friday,” said an expert.