Landslide blocks National Highway (NH) 10 (Siliguri-Gangtok) causes massive traffic jams on NH55

With NH10 (formerly31A) blocked by the slide above, literally hundreds of vehicles mainly to Sikkim and Darjeeling scrambled up NH55 yesterday and today causing massive traffic snarls some almost lasting 6-9 hrs.
Read more here

Photo credit : Mr Kundan Yolmo (Telegraph)

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling

Events of note : UGC Seminar on Climate Change at St Joseph's College, North Point, Darjeeling (26-28Jun2015)

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling

STH stormwatch : First depression of 2015 in the Bay of Bengal

'The depression over northwest & adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh­south Odisha coast moved northwestwards during past 3 hours and lay centred at 1730 hours IST of today, near Lat. 18.5°N and Long.85.5°E, about 150 km south of Puri.
The system would move northwestwards and cross Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Puri by tomorrow forenoon.'
- IMetD

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling

STH Storm watch : Monsoon progress and reporting the first low pressure of the season

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling

Amidst earthquakes, now landslides : Nepal (11June2015)

Sadly the grim predictions (see 1 & 2) are coming true. Even as Nepal continues to be rocked by aftershocks (map) landslides triggered by rains have killed more than 41 people in the north east of the country.
The worst part is the rains are not due to the SW monsoons which are yet to arrive over the region and are caused by the numerous western disturbances which have been sweeping down the Himalayas.
I have been tracking these rain clouds daily, wondering in helpless bewilderment when the misery of millions affected by the quakes and now the landslides, in Nepal will end.

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling

STH Stormwatch : Reporting Cyclone 'Ashobaa', the first cyclone of 2015 in Northern Indian Ocean

Tracks in Arabian Sea are from here
Till date no low pressure/depression or cyclone has formed in the Bay of Bengal.

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling