Kolkata is sweating profusely along with most parts of Bengal, but Siliguri is enjoying a gentle breeze under an overcast sky.
Some of Siliguri’s neighbouring towns are also enjoying pleasant weather after spells of rain.
“After many years, such contrasting weather conditions have been witnessed in Bengal. When the state capital, the southern and central districts are experiencing an intense heat wave with temperatures crossing the 40-degree Celsius mark, five north Bengal districts have nice weather with day temperatures hovering around 32°C,” said G.N. Raha, a meteorologist at the regional Met office in Gangtok.
He said that five districts — Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Kalimpong, which are in the sub-Himalayan region — are experiencing localised rainfall and thunderstorms since the past few days.
“Owing to proximity to mountains, these areas are experiencing orthographic precipitation which is why there is this change in weather. In these areas, unlike other districts of the state, if the maximum temperature crosses 35°C for two-three days, the region experiences a local rainfall that reduces the heat,” Raha added.
Another weather expert pointed out that in districts to the south of the sub-Himalayan Bengal, including Malda and the two Dinajpurs, a warm westerly is flowing in from Rajasthan, where an anti-cyclonic situation has developed. “This is increasing the temperature,” he added.
In the sub-Himalayan region, the districts witnessed an overcast sky throughout the day today, coupled with a gentle breeze.
“The weather in Darjeeling was equally pleasant. The day temperature was around 17°C on Wednesday,” said a resident of the hill town.
The increase in temperature across south Bengal prompted thousands from these areas to plan trips to north Bengal, especially the hills.
“Train tickets are hardly available these days. The rise in temperature in south Bengal and also in a number of other states has led to a steady increase in the demand for flight tickets. As the Bagdogra airport reopened on Tuesday, the flow of tourists has started increasing. We are expecting a huge turnout of tourists during the ongoing summer season,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network.
According to the stakeholders, hotels in Darjeeling and Gangtok have close to 90 per cent occupancy, which is likely to increase in the coming weeks.
Tourists are also flocking to the Dooars where the weather is equally pleasant.
“People are checking into resorts and the homestay accommodations. It is good for the revival of the industry that had taken a beating in the past two years because of the pandemic,” said Ujjal Seal, who runs a travel house in the Dooars.
Met office sources said similar weather conditions are likely to prevail in the region for the next two-three days. “There is a forecast of sporadic rainfall in the sub-Himalayan region and in the neighbouring state of Sikkim. Also, there might be bouts of gusty winds in the area,” said a source.