COIMBATORE: Frosting has begun to set in with the minimum temperature plummeting to five degrees Celsius in Ooty.

Although frosting, an annual phenomenon, commenced delayed by the third week of November, its impact faded away soon following heavy rains brought by Cyclone Fengal.

After nearly a month, frosting resumed in the hills on Monday and is likely to intensify in the coming days. The sprawling lawn of the Government Botanical Garden (GBG), a popular tourist destination, was blanketed with frost in the early morning hours.

“The GBG recorded a minimum temperature of five degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning. Over the last few years, the frosting phenomenon has set in after a long delay in Ooty. In another few days, the minimum temperature is expected to drop further,” said an official of the Horticulture Department.

In a visual treat for tourists, a layer of frost was deposited in tourist locales like Boat House, Pykkara and Race Course grounds.

Even though it shines during the day, a freezing chillness pervades through the night. “Normal life was disrupted as people couldn’t go for farm work to harvest carrots and pluck tea leaves in the early morning due to severe cold,” said H Manikandan, a resident of Ooty.

The sale of woollen garments has picked up pace as people use them to keep warm. Also, tourists gather around by setting bonfires in the evenings to stay warm.