Shimla, March 16:
Fresh snowfall in Khadrala and nearby higher reaches of upper Shimla, along with a fresh spell of rain across several parts of Himachal Pradesh, signals a renewed western disturbance activity with the weather office warning of thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds in the coming days.
Hundreds of tourist and local vehicles were caught unawares in the snow on the Atal Tunnel-Manali highway last night and BRO Police teams worked 24 hours to escort the commuters safe back to Manali.
The rains and snow come as a big relief for forest which were engulfed by fires and Smog. As long as you can see you find no trace of fires and Smog for the last 24 hours.
According to the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Khadrala recorded the highest snowfall of 10.2 cm, while other high altitude areas also received fresh snow including Kalpa with 6.4 cm, Gondhla and Jot with 3 cm each and Kukumseri with 1.5 cm during the last 24 hours.
Rainfall Across Several Districts
The snowfall was accompanied by widespread rain across the state. Significant rainfall recorded included:
Salooni – 32 mm
Sarahan – 29.5 mm
Bhabanagar – 29 mm
Rampur – 28 mm
Kataula – 23.4 mm
Manali – 22 mm
Bharmour – 20.5 mm
Pandoh – 20.4 mm
Shimla – 12.2 mm.
Thunderstorms and lightning were also reported in Shimla, Kufri, Jubberhatti, Kangra and Sundernagar, while hailstorm was reported in Shimla. Gusty winds touched 70 kmph in Hamirpur (Neri).
More Stormy Weather Likely
The weather department said the current spell is being triggered by a Western Disturbance over Punjab and an upper air cyclonic circulation over Haryana, while another fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of March 17.
Due to this system, thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph are likely at isolated places over the next two days, which may intensify to 40–50 kmph with gusts up to 60 kmph later in the week.
Hailstorms are also likely at isolated places mid-week, posing a risk to crops and orchards.
Farmers and Tourists Advised Caution
The meteorological department has advised farmers, especially apple growers, to protect orchards from possible hail and strong winds, while tourists travelling to upper Shimla, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti have been urged to remain cautious due to slippery roads and sudden weather changes.
The spell of rain and snow has also brought down temperatures sharply, with Tabo recording the lowest minimum temperature in the state at –2.5°C.
Meteorologists say the precipitation could help partially ease the moisture deficit caused by the unusually long dry spell that had persisted for over a month across the state.
