The first snowfall of the season fell in Changu Valley, East Sikkim, sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. A fresh coating of snow marked the coming of winter and delighted both locals and visitors to the picturesque valley. The valley was turned into a winter wonderland by the snowfall, which started late Friday night and persisted until the early hours of Saturday.
The first snowfall of the season occurred far earlier than anticipated in Thangu (3,900 meters) and the Gurudongmar Lake region (5,425 meters) on September 29, after North Sikkim saw intense rains over three days. In the upper parts of Lachen and Lachung Valley, snowfall was another consequence of the abrupt weather shift. This unusual amount of snowfall caused problems for both locals and visitors, interfering with daily routines and clogging roads.
In order to clean the important roads in North Sikkim, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) moved swiftly to mobilize its equipment and labor force. The previous ninety-six hours of intense rains also resulted in other landslides, which caused havoc throughout the state. Significant rises in the Teesta River’s water level and roadblocks at strategic points along National Highway 10 made travel and transportation even more difficult.
