Sandakphu, the highest point in Bengal at 10,000ft above sea level, received a rare spell of snowfall early on Friday. It 
started snowing around 5am and continued for about an hour. The area was covered in one-and-a-half inches of snow. Chandan Pradhan, secretary of the Land Rover Owners’ Welfare Association, said: “Snowfall is uncommon during this time. But this is not the first time. It has snowed in March a few times in the past.”

The snow was followed by a hailstorm. The weather department has attributed the snowfall to “a western disturbance”. 

Reporting by Vivek Chhetri. Picture courtesy: Off Roads Adventure