The temperature has dropped! Excited tourists in Sandakphu-Manebhanjan, Darjeeling covered in snow at noon

Heavy snowfall in full spring at Sandakphu in Darjeeling. By Tuesday afternoon, heavy snow fell in the highest areas of the state along the Nepal border. Manebhanjan and Falut are covered in ice sheets. However, despite the rain, it did not snow in Darjeeling city. Meanwhile, heavy snowfall continues in East Sikkim. The communication system on the Chinese border is disrupted as the area is covered in snow. In this situation, the Sikkim administration stopped the issue of tourist passes for traveling to Nathu-la and Changu valleys. Meanwhile, Sandakphu in Darjeeling is covered in snow at the end of February. According to meteorologists, it is the first time this year that it has snowed on such a large scale in Sandakphu.

Central Meteorological Department Sikkim Center Director Gopinath Raha said yesterday, on Monday, that there is a possibility of light to moderate rain and snowfall in the higher areas of Darjeeling and Sikkim hills. There may be hail in some areas. From Monday afternoon, there was a big change in the weather in the hills. Light rain started today, Tuesday morning. Darjeeling city also received hailstorm. As a result, the temperature of the mountain drops rapidly. Sandakphu, Manvenjan area started snowing after hail around noon.

Tourists flocked to Sandakphu from this morning to get news of the possibility of snowfall. Tourists are happy to see snowfall after noon. Finally, at the end of February, they are happy to get snow. On this day, low-lying areas including Tunglun, Tungling received light rain with light snow. A large number of tourists left for Sandakphu due to the news of snowfall. It started snowing in the area in the afternoon. In no time, leaves of trees, roads, grass are covered with snow. Meanwhile, the situation is similar in North and East Sikkim. Lachung, Lachen, Zero Point, Gurdungmar Lake in North Sikkim and Nathu-la, Changu valleys in East Sikkim also experienced heavy snowfall on Tuesday.

Due to security reasons, pass issuance and traffic to Nathu-La and Changu valleys have been temporarily closed. Hundreds of tourist vehicles got stuck in Changu Valley on Sunday due to heavy snowfall. The Army carried out operations till late night to rescue 46 tourists and evacuate the drivers to safety. According to Met Office sources, heavy snowfall and heavy rain are likely in higher areas of Sikkim on Tuesday. Naturally, after Sunday’s incident, the administration took no further risks.