Shimla: Amid an orange alert, parts of Himachal Pradesh’s low and mid hills witnessed light to moderate rain, while higher reaches saw light snowfall, bringing a sharp dip in temperatures across the state.It rained in parts of Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Shimla, Solan, Kangra and Sirmaur districts, and the districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, including the higher mountain passes, received light snowfall.In Lahaul-Spiti, 18 roads were blocked due to continuous snowfall since Thursday. According to the District Disaster Management Authority, the roads that remained blocked included Darcha to Sarchu, Gramphu to Batal, and Lossar to Batal.The Lahaul-Spiti administration on Thursday also issued an order banning the movement of tourists and commercial activities at the avalanche-prone areas near the North Portal of the Atal Tunnel.The rain and snow pushed the maximum temperature down by 1°-7°C across the state.According to the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Dharamshala recorded the maximum temperature of 23°C — 2.2°C below normal; Manali 15.2°C (4.3°C below normal); Mandi 23.5°C (7.1°C below normal); and Kangra 25.6°C (4.8 degrees below normal).Una recorded the highest maximum temperature of 33°C and Keylong the lowest minimum temperature of 1.8°C.The weather department has issued an orange and yellow alert for thunderstorms, gusty winds in parts of Himachal Pradesh for April 3 and 4. This month, the state has recorded 2.9 mm rainfall — 38% less than the normal of 4.7 mm.Last month also, the state recorded rainfall of 93.7 mm — 17% less than the normal of 113.4 mm. MSID:: 130002246 413 |
