Ooty: Frosting has begun to set in the hills here as bone-chilling cold has begun to keep the Nilgiris district in all shivers from dusk to dawn.
Though late, by at least a month this winter, frosting, a characteristic feature of winter in this Queen of Hill Stations, has begun now. While its impact was little felt on Tuesday, on Wednesday morning the deposition of frost turned everything white on the lawns, open grounds, tiles on the roof tops and vehicles parked in the open air. It was an apt indication that the mercury level in the hills has begun to plummet.
The minimum temperature recorded at the Government Botanical Garden(GBG) here on Wednesday morning was 5 degree Celsius. It is expected to dip down sharply in the days to come as the month of January is known for heavy frosting in the hills.
With the onset of frost, the cold wave has begun to sweep across the hills that people find even the woolen garments are not that sufficient now to beat the cold, especially in the open air. However, the day weather is shiny with the clear sky. It is quite difficult to touch the water in the early morning as it makes one get a freezing sensation. But, the situation improves after 8 am in the morning once the sun begins to shine well that melts and evaporates the frost.
The GBG management here is beginning to take measures to manage the frost on its lawns, as they operate pop-up irrigation underlying the lawns to melt the frost before sunrise. As the frost bite makes vegetable cultivation tough, farmers look at other options of cultivating either carrot or oats which resist frost to a considerable level.
