Ooty: Bone chilling cold begins to engulf the hills here in the night hours as frosting has begun to make its appearance, indicating that Ooty is heading for a cold wave in the coming weeks. Frosting that turns everything white on the lawns as well as roof tops and the vehicles parked in the open air, is a regular winter phenomenon in the hills that come to the fore when the mercury level plummets.
Though frosting generally makes its appearance either in the last week of November or in the first week of December in the Blue Mountain, this year, due to climatic factors including the influence of Northeast monsoon rains, the frosting phenomenon has been delayed. However, at the fag-end of December, the frosting has just begun as the outskirts of Ooty town, especially Thalaikundah and Kulicholai areas witnessing ground frosting for the past two days.
A few low-lying areas in the town limits here too witnessed ground frosting for the past two days, though the minimum temperature is hovering around six degree Celsius in the town limits. Consequently, Ooty has begun to reel under an utter cold wave, especially between dusk to dawn and in the early morning as the bone-chilling cold is giving tough time for people in the hills. The hill residents as well as tourists take to woolen garments to beat the cold. However, the day weather is good with bright sunshine and clear sky.
