The mercury has started dipping across Darjeeling hills following a spell of rain on Sunday.

Kalimpong recorded a maximum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. Tadong near Gangtok clocked 31 degrees Celsius. Darjeeling recorded a maximum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, considered one of the hottest days in the hills this summer, the maximum temperature in Kalimpong was 31 degrees Celsius while that of Tadong was 32.7, turning the hills into a relatively sultry zone. Darjeeling’s temperature was 24.6 degrees Celsius on Friday.

Saturday temperatures were more or less the same as on Friday.

Sources in the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that temperature above 40 degrees Celsius in the plains and 30 degrees or more in the hilly regions was considered a heatwave.

“The rains have brought respite in many parts of the Darjeeling hills. Infact, the hills had not received much rainfall through the past week,” said a local.

Kalimpong recorded a rainfall of 0.56mm, while Darjeeling received 0.40mm of rainfall on Sunday.

“The place finally feels like a hill station on Sunday. It was not the case in the past two days in many parts of the hills, when we actually felt hot,” said a tourist who had spent the last three days in Sitong under the Kurseong subdivision in Darjeeling.

The region is still deficient in rainfall this year.

According to the data from the IMD, it rained 58 per cent less in the Darjeeling district from June 1 to 13 compared to the average rainfall during the corresponding period. The deficiency is around 64 per cent in Kalimpong district, 49 per cent in Jalpaiguri district and 29 per cent in Alipurduar district.

Similarly, in Sikkim, it rained 46 per cent less during the June 1-13 period.

Weathermen have forecast light to moderate rain across north Bengal for the entire week.

A brief spell of rain has also brought the temperatures down in Siliguri. The day’s temperature in Siliguri on Sunday was 31 degree Celsius, down from 36 degree Celsius on Friday.