TNN Jan 2, 2012, 02.04AM IST
DARJEELING: The New Year brought with it the first snowfall in the Hills on Sunday. Around 2 inches of snow covered the Phalut-Sandakphu region, around 52km from Darjeeling town. Locals feel Darjeeling will also experience snowfall within a few days.
Tour and travel operators were quick to cash in on the snowfall at Phalut. They spread the news in Kolkata where domestic tourists were waiting for the snowfall. "I just got confirmation that it is snowing in Darjeeling. Many of my clients have been enquiring about the possibility of snowfall in the Hills. It's good news," said Sushanta Roy, a tour operator from B C Roy Market in Esplanade.
"It is snowing now.and it looks like it will last for some more time. The weather condition indicates that makes it feel that snowfall will get heavier as night falls," said Nima Lhamu Sherpa, a local over phone from Kalpokhari.
Temperature in Darjeeling hovered around the 2-3 degree mark on Sunday. "The condition is suitable for snowfall any time now. There is a blanket of cloud with slight drizzle but it is not chilly. This is an indicator that snow could fall anytime in Darjeeling town," said Meghna Rana, a local resident.
In Tiger Hill, the temperature dropped drastically to 1 degree.
"It has been cold for the past couple of days. The western disturbances have not arrived but there was rainfall in Siliguri. Moisture is in the air, which is essential for snowfall," said the weatherman at the North Bengal University (NBU) in Siliguri.
Hoteliers in Darjeeling have already started receiving inquiries and bookings with the news of the snowfall in Sandakphu-Phalut spreading to the cities. "I have been getting several calls since this evening from Kolkata and Delhi. I have only 17 rooms but the volume of bookings at least over phone has swelled to more then 30 within a span of hours," said Anuraj Sharma, an hotelier in Darjeeling.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-02/kolkata/30581359_1_first-snowfall-darjeeling-north-bengal-university