Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

It is severe frost time in Udhagamandalam now

Special Correspondent

Normal life thrown out of gear; people head home early

COLD CARPET: An open area at Thalaikundah near Ooty, covered with frost.

Udhagamandalam: After the wet and cold conditions it is now the turn of frost in Udhagamandalam and its surroundings. The hill station and its outskirts have been experiencing severe frost between dusk and dawn.

Enquiries made by The Hindu revealed that the frost was very severe in the Western Catchment, Pykara, Parsons Valley, Mukurthi, Wenlock Downs, Thalaikundah and Sandynullah.

Due to the biting chillness, vehicles especially those with diesel engines, are experiencing starting problems. Many of the lorry drivers have started parking their vehicles on slopes to avoid pushing them early in the morning.

The severe weather conditions have also thrown normal life out of gear.

People are heading home earlier than usual. To keep the cold at bay, autorickshaw and taxi drivers are lighting bonfires at street corners in the evening.

Open areas like the sprawling Race Course and the lawns inside the Government Botanical Garden are presenting a "white carpet" look during the early hours of the morning.

The frost has given a jolt to the farming community, affecting tea gardens and annual crops in many places. The minimum temperature has nose dived to zero degrees Celsius and less.

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