Fresh snow in HP; rain in Haryana cheers farmers

Tribune News Service

Shimla/Haridwar/Chandigarh, January 3

Normal life was thrown out of gear as higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand experienced fresh snowfall on Saturday. Mild rains in Punjab and Haryana, however, have come as a boon for farmers who can expect better yield.

While the Rohtang Pass was closed for traffic, severe cold conditions in Nainital affected tourist flow to the town.

In HP, Dhundi and Koksar received 60 cm of snow, while Rohtang Pass and Mari experienced 50 cm and 35 cm of snowfall. The sprawling Dhauladhar ranges in Kangra and Churdhar ranges in Sirmaur had another spell of heavy snow while the adjoining valley areas were lashed by rain, accompanied by high-velocity icy winds.

The Hindustan-Tibet national highway was opened up to Rekong Peo. Thick fog, however, engulfed the region reducing visibility considerably. Manali was the wettest in the region with 34 mm of rains followed by Kasauli (18 mm), Sri Naina Devi (17 mm), a and Shimla (12 mm).

Farm experts say rains at this time are beneficial for mustard, gram and wheat crops. The farmers in Haryana, however, are worried over short supply of urea. “The rains have provided soil with much required moisture, but the urea levels have dipped. This will now create a demand for the fertiliser which is already short in supply,” said a farmer. Heavily overcast skies also pushed up minimum temperatures, bringing some respite from biting cold wave conditions in parts of north India.

Chandigarh recorded minimum temperature of 12°C, seven notches above normal, the MeT department said, adding that the city received 11.6 mm rains. In Haryana, Ambala received rainfall of 11.5 mm while it recorded a low at 11.8 °C, up six notches.

Hisar and Karnal also drenched by 2.2 and 6.6 mm, respectively, while their minimum temperatures were recorded at 9.5°C and 11.5 °C, respectively, up by almost four notches.

In Punjab, Amritsar registered the lowest minimum in the region at 4.8 °C. Ludhiana and Patiala had rainfall of 2.6 and 2.2 mm, respectively, while the minimum temperatures were recorded at 11.9°C and 12.7 °C respectively, seven degrees above normal.