Snow or No?
Now that Christmas has whispered a fond adieu, a beautiful memory of this year that is etched in the memory of every Shillongite is that ‘white Wednesday’ when the cityscape was covered in white after a hailstorm swept through several parts of the city — for most, it was snowing. But was it, really?
Perhaps, what Shillong experienced that day was graupel. Now, graupel is precipitation that forms when extremely cooled water droplets are collected and then they freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2-5 mm balls of crisp and opaque rime (frost formed by the rapid freezing of water vapour in cloud or fog). Graupel is also known as soft hail, corn snow, hominy snow, or snow pellets and is said to be distinct from hail and ice pellets. While hail is common in thunderstorms, graupel typically falls in winter storms and in convective showers, especially at higher elevations.However, the internet was abuzz with admirers and people flooding social media with posts of the day. Majority of them dubbed the phenomenon as snowfall.
One of the Twitter posts read, “Streets of #Shillong and of it’s outskirt are covered with a thick sheet of snow. Snowfall in Shillong. White pre-Christmas as hailstorm its #Meghalaya’s Shillong (sic).”
Another tweet read, “Shillong in Meghalaya hit by a massive hailstorm since #yesterday. Streets of #Shillong and of it’s outskirt are covered with a thick sheet of #snow. White pre-#Christmas as #hailstorm its #Meghalaya’s Shillong (sic).”
Even if it was not snowing, it is safe to say that that particular experience made the Christmas season this year wholesome for all.
The Chasers
Have you been chased by dogs while driving on a city road during late hours? If yes, you must have, at some point, wondered what makes these curious animals so jittery when a car passes by that they are hell-bent on chasing the vehicle down.
An up-close experience of the SJ team in this regard turned out to be a rather fun encounter. Many a night, two dogs chased after the car and curiously didn’t bark but only ran alongside the car. Initially, we tried to shoo them away but after some time, it became a wonted affair and they weren’t much of a bother. This run would take place in a stretch of close to 100 metres. Beyond that, they would not pursue, for reasons best known to them.
However, it must be the weather that’s making these chases less frequent of late.
Now in other cases, it’s not just the chasing. There are hazards.
The barking accompanied with them running after the vehicle makes it just more difficult to drive let alone keeping an eye out for the dog at the same time. If the car is moving at a pace, there is the likelihood that the dogs may get hurt too.
However, it is a completely different scenario for motorists. The risks are greater as there is not enough cover if a dog decides to lunge at the two-wheeler rider. Under such circumstances, there is high possibility of serious accidents.
Trash from vehicles
Have you ever been witness to incidents where garbage is thrown out of vehicles on the move? If not, better believe it. Some people actually do it in the city.
These car owners usually avoid crowded city streets and day light. They perform their act in secluded roads across the city, mostly when there aren’t many vehicles or pedestrians around them.
They choose their spot well….. They roll down their window….. And out comes the trash.
The garbage mostly consists of uneaten food, wrappers and plastic bottles.
There are occasions in the late night, especially on the highways, when some liquor bottles or beer cans are also thrown out from inside the cars.
A few months ago, a photo depicting occupants of a Maruti van throwing garbage near City Hut Dhaba had gone viral on social media.
Most of these incidents go unnoticed since the offenders choose their time and spot wisely so as not to get caught.
Why do they do it? Why not look for a garbage bin and dump the waste there? Or is it that they do not care about the city? The answer is not difficult to guess.
Vigilant citizens can definitely report such offences to the authorities, if they come across any such act. We sure need a deterrent.