Scent of snow in Darjeeling

Snow-covered Darjeeling on February 14, 2007

Siliguri, Jan. 23: Snow is in the Darjeeling air with a hint of rain that could pull down temperatures below the zero-mark.

A low-pressure zone created by a western disturbance and the rain could combine to bring down the temperature, said the weatherman.

“Parts of north Bengal have already experienced isolated rain,” said T.K. Chakraborty, the director of the regional Met office in Jalpaiguri.

Yesterday, the lowest was 1 degree Celsius. The day temperature today was only 5 degrees and the night was expected to be colder. “The cold spell is likely to continue for seven-eight days,” Chakraborty said.

The town got draped in white on Valentine’s Day last year. “A brief shower brought temperatures down around midnight, and it began to snow around 3am. The flakes fell without pause for over three-and-a-half hours, took a breather around 7 and then continued till 9am. It was Darjeeling’s first February snow in 22 years.

Siliguri experienced this season’s coldest day today at 8 degrees Celsius. The maximum was 17 degrees.