Higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh get snow

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 11

The prolonged dry spell in Himachal Pradesh ended on Wednesday as it started snowfing in the higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur since early morning.

Hansa and Koksar in Lahual and Spiti have already received 10 cm and 5 cm snow, respectively. Pooh and Kalpa, in Kinnaur, have also recorded light snowfall this morning.

In Shimla, the probability of snowfall is less today. “There’s a probability of rainfall in Shimla today. The city might receive some snowfall in the late evening or tomorrow,” said Surender Paul, Director, Metrological Centre, Shimla. “In mid and lower hills, there’s a probability of rain,” he said. The Director said the strength of the Western Disturbance has been less than expected, so the intensity of snowfall/rainfall will be less than expected.

In the districts adjoining the plains, the weather will remain cloudy. A light rainfall is expected in some of these areas. 

The prolonged dry spell in Himachal Pradesh has resulted in 20-25 per cent loss to wheat and vegetable crops in rainfed areas as the state received just 0.7 mm rains during January 1-10, registering a deficit of 96 per cent.

The rain deficit was nearly 100 per cent in December 2022.

In Delhi and Punjab, a dense cover of fog on Wednesday lowered visibility to just 50 metres, disrupting movement of vehicles and trains.

A layer of dense to very dense fog extended from Punjab to Bihar across Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, an IMD official said.

The Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport recorded a visibility level of 50 metres.

Twenty trains were delayed by an hour to 10 hours due to the foggy weather, a Northern Railways spokesperson said.

The Delhi International Airport Limited tweeted that low-visibility procedures were in progress at the IGI airport.

Cold wave conditions are predicted to return to the plains of northwest India after the WD retreats and frosty northwesterly winds start blowing from the snow-covered mountains. With PTI inputs

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