Around 2 pm on Thursday, the small hamlet and tourist resort, situated at the Indo-Nepal border at an altitude of 11,900 feet, began to see snow. Tourists, local people, and hoteliers in Sandakphu and other parts of Darjeeling hills were overjoyed.

“It is good news. The first snowfall was earlier than it was last year. The area was covered in white snow. Over 200 tourists were there at that point. Now we expect more tourists to visit. Already, queries are pouring in,” said a hotelier in Darjeeling.

Meanwhile, according to the IMD, the minimum temperature on Thursday was 8 degrees Celsius and on Friday morning, it was recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius in Darjeeling. The mercury is expected to slightly fall on Friday night.

However, Kolkata and parts of southern West Bengal are expected to have clear skies and no major changes in minimum temperature for the next few days.

In Kolkata, maximum temperatures will hover around 28°C, while minimum temperatures will be near 19°C. Winter will gradually set in, with a steady decrease in temperatures. However, no major changes are expected till the end of November.

According to IMD, some districts in North and South Bengal may experience light to moderate fog in the morning, especially in Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Hooghly, Bankura, West Midnapore, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and Malda. A cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal is not expected to directly affect the state.

Overall, Kolkata and its surrounding areas will enjoy a relatively pleasant weather with mild temperatures and occasional fog.