The mercury plummeted in north Bengal on Friday as most places received either snowfall or rain and the sky remained overcast.

The snowfall occurred in the Darjeeling hills, along with Sikkim, much to the elation of local people and tourists.

In the current winter, this is the sixth time that it has snowed in the Darjeeling hills. Usually, snowfall occurs in the upper reaches of Darjeeling like Sandakphu and Phalut and at higher places in the East and North districts of the neighbouring state of Sikkim.

“The western disturbance approaching Sikkim and adjoining areas, added with incursion of strong moisture from the Bay of Bengal, led to enhanced rainfall and snowfall. There is a forecast that such activities are likely to continue in the region even on Saturday,” said a weather expert.

According to sources at the India Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature dipped to three degrees Celsius in Darjeeling and five degrees in Gangtok in the past 24 hours.

“The rainfall, coupled with the overcast sky, brought down the daytime temperature in most areas of north Bengal, especially in the sub-Himalayan region. In Siliguri and surroundings, the minimum temperature was around 14 degrees Celsius throughout the day. A strong breeze contributed to a strong chill feel,” the expert said.

In the hills, it snowed throughout the day at places like Tiger Hill, Ghoom, Jorebunglow and Sukhiapokhri. There were a few of bouts of snowfall in the Darjeeling town. Chowrasta, Mall Road, Motor Stand, Judge Bazar and Chowk Bazar in the town .

“After December 29, 2018, this is the first time that the hill town experienced a snowfall. However, unlike the neighbouring places, the snow melted fast,” local resident Kamal Lama said.

Snow blankets Tiger Hill, the popular tourist spot on the lower reaches of the Darjeeling hills, on Friday. Telegraph photo

Fourteen years ago —– on February 14, 2007, the Darjeeling town was fully wrapped in a white cover after an intense bout of snowfall.

“If it snows for a couple of more days in the Darjeeling hills, it will be a new record. Around 20 years ago, snowfall had been witnessed in the region so many times in a winter season,” said a resident.

Friday’s snowfall brought cheers to the faces of local people and tourists. While some visitors reached Tiger Hill, others walked to areas like the Ghoom railway station, clicking photos with a toy train as it trudged through the snow. Many were seen tossing snowballs at each other.

A number of people, mostly youngsters, headed for the hills from Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and adjoining areas on bikes and in cars.

“It was freezing cold but we enjoyed this new landscape, especially at Ghoom and Sukhiapokhri. Everything was under a white cover,” said Rajarshi Mukherjee, who ascended to Ghoom with some of his friends in the morning from Siliguri.

The snowfall also left stakeholders of the tourism industry happy. Like Shimla, they said, Darjeeling can also draw more tourists during the winter if it snows frequently in the region.

“We have come to know that the weather conditions are conducive to more bouts of snowfall. It is good for the region and we feel more tourists will visit the region in the winter,” said Tanmoy Goswami, who runs a travel house in Siliguri.