Had it snowed inDarjeelingthis year, it would have witnessed people stepping out of their warm houses to experience the fresh and season’s first snowflakes on their palms. Had it snowed in Darjeeling, it would have meant a trail of footprints on the white blanket of snow. Had it snowed, it would have been the white magic in the downtown Darjeeling like it happened on 11thJanuary 2012.
However, winter season is more than half way through and unlike the tourist destinations in North India, Darjeeling, nicknamed as The Queen of hills is still awaiting the season’s first snowfall.
Even though Darjeeling has recorded rain of 2.6 mm on 17thDecember 2014 and 5.6 mm on 3rdJanuary 2015, snow failed to follow rain this season.
Almost all locations in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have received spell of snow and few spells are in the offing in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, Darjeeling in Sub Himalayan West Bengal still awaits snowfall. Moreover, in the absence of snowfall, Darjeeling still awaits the mad rush of tourists who usually throng the hill station to get a glimpse of snow.
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It’s been two years in a row that snowfall has remained nonexistent in the town of Darjeeling but nearby places like Sandakphu, Ghoom, Tonglu and Phalut. However, it had been blessed with snowfall in past few years that too on important days of the calendar. It snowed on the New Year’s Day in 2003, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday – January 23 in 2005, Valentine’s Day – 14thFebruary in 2007 and Republic Day – 26thJanuary in 2008.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Darjeeling may miss the season’s snowfall yet again as rain and sleet’s frequency and intensity reduces in January.
