Siliguri, Jan. 9: As the plains shivered in the cold wave with temperatures plummeting to 10 degrees below normal, the hills of north Bengal basked in the warm rays of the winter sun.

The weatherman said what the people already suspected — it was the coldest day of the season.

The cold wave would continue for yet another week, it predicted.

In contrast, the residents of Kalimpong and neighbouring Sikkim basked in the pleasant rays of the winter “sun”.

Sources at the Met office of North Bengal University said: “Siliguri last night recorded the coldest temperature of the season with the mercury dipping to 5.9 degree Celsius, the lowest in the past five years. Foggy weather coupled with chilly wind blowing down from the Himalayas has pulled down the temperature to 10 degrees below normal.”

“With the Met office forecasting a coastal disturbance, we expect colder days ahead. The unusually cold weather has disrupted the normal life of the town,” said a Siliguri resident.

“Yesterday was the coldest day of the season. Though the sky was clear, a thick fog hung heavy on the plains. This condition is likely to prevail for the next seven days,” said Subir Sarkar, in-charge of the NBU Met station.

According to him, the effect of the chilly winds blowing from the northwest might be neutralised by the predicted coastal disturbances.

“We expect the mercury to rise a bit in the coming weeks if things go normal. But the cold will still persist for the next three or four days,” he added.

Streets wore a deserted look with traffic avoiding the early morning and night fog and people refusing to get out of their quilts and wet their hands in the ice-cold water.

In the evening, many stopped to thaw their frozen hands in the roadside fires lit by pavement dwellers before heading home. The only bright thing in the grey foggy weather was the colourful winter wear.

The chilly winds seemed to have persuaded the people to stay indoors, spoiling business for the ongoing Siliguri book fair. The temperature at Darjeeling wavered between zero and five degree Celsius. The region recorded a temperature of 5.5 degree Celsius this afternoon.

On the other hand, the winter seems to be less cold this year for people of Gangtok and Kalimpong.

“Kalimpong is not as cold as it should be. Though, there is a chilly wind, we are enjoying sun-soaked days here,” said a resident.