Sandakphu, the highest point of Bengal. ended the month of March with a “rare” snowfall.

Chandan Pradhan, the general secretary of the Singalila Landrover Owners’ Association, said that the region started receiving snowfall from 5pm on Friday.

Snowfall continued for over a couple of hours on Friday evening. On Saturday, there was no snowfall, but the area stayed cloaked in snow.

“It snowed from 5pm on Friday evening and everyone including the locals and tourists in for a surprise with the timing of the snowfall. This is the time for the rhododendrons to bloom and not for snow to fall,” said Pradhan.

Snow on trees in Sandakphu

Sandakphu, at an altitude of around 11,900 feet, usually receives snow from December to February.

“It is rare to receive snow at this time. The western disturbance and a strong moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal have led to this condition. We had predicted this weather about a week back,” said G.N. Raha, head of the Gangtok centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Western disturbances are storms that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring winter rain to north India and this region.

Residents said Sandakphu received snowfall inApril 2012.

There is, however, good news for tourists visiting the region as the weather official did not rule out another bout of snow till Tuesday.

“The intensity might be less but we cannot rule out hailstorm and snow in the upper reaches of Darjeeling and Sikkim until Tuesday,” said Raha.

Travel operators said 100-odd tourists in the region enjoyed the snowfall.

The pattern of snowfall in the region bemused everyone this winter.

The region saw its first winter snowfall on February 26, which weather experts maintain is again “rare”.

Weather officials said that this winter, the intensity of western disturbance was weak, and moreover, it had passed the north of Darjeeling which resulted in lack of snowfall in the months when snow is expected.

During January and February, rain deficit in this region stood at 66 per cent. “However, the region received decent rainfall since. There is no deficit this month,” said a weather official.

The maximum temperature in Darjeeling on Saturday was 10°C and the minimum was 7°C.

Sikkim authorities also did not issue passes for tourists to visit Tsomgo Lake and Nathu-la because of snowfall on Saturday.