KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 29
Continuous snowfall has thrown life out of gear in the mountainous districts, while incessant rain from last night has brought down temperatures considerably in the hilly and Tarai areas in the country.
Apart from Sudurpashchim and Karnali, high altitude areas on the periphery of Kathmandu valley, such as Chandragiri, Pulchowki, Shivapuri, Tarakeshwor, and some areas of Nagarkot, also witnessed snowfall, attracting hordes of local tourists.
Similarly, snowfall has also excited farmers in the country as they believe occasional snowfall kills germs in the soil and makes the land more fertile.
Similarly, light to moderate rainfall across the country has also encouraged farmers as their crops were saved from drying out.
Meanwhile, a number of vehicles were stranded and flights were suspended for a few hours across the country, especially the flights to mountainous and high hilly areas from Nepalgunj and Dhangadi.
At least 30 flights are operated from Nepalgunj per day on a regular basis.
Despite the rain and snowfall, minimum temperature has increased inside the valley today. Today's minimum temperature was recorded at 7.7 degrees Celsius, which is a sharp rise from the minimum 3 to 4 degrees Celsius of the past few days.
Meteorologists say this is because the thick layer of clouds work as a protective shield that traps heat. On the other hand, the maximum temperature has decreased sharply in comparison to the last few days. Earlier, maximum temperature used to be between 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, but today's maximum temperature came down to around 10 degrees Celsius.
"The drop in maximum temperature has made people feel colder than the past days," said Sabina Shakya, meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division.
Further, she said if the same situation remained the minimum temperature would also gradually decrease as the heat trapped by the clouds would slowly cool down. Meanwhile, meteorologist say that sky will be clear from tomorrow.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 30, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
