Expect heavy rain today, alert sounded

Shimla, August 5

The wet spell in Himachal Pradesh is likely to continue till August 11, the MeT office here said while issuing a yellow alert for heavy rain tomorrow.

Light to heavy rain lashed parts of the state on Friday and Saturday, the Weather Department said.

In the past 24 hours, Poanta Sahib received the maximum rainfall of 108 mm, followed by Dhaulakuan (69 mm), Palampur (55 mm), Dharamsala (29 mm), Shimla (27 mm), and Mandi and Mashobra (18 mm each).

As many as 278 roads, including the National Highway-5 connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, are closed and vehicular traffic has been diverted through alternative roads, officials said.

About 201 persons have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents so far since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 6,676 crore.