Fresh snow in Himachal tourist destinations; Met issues thunderstorm warning

Fresh snow was recorded in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh, with the Met office issuing a ‘yellow’ alert for thunderstorm and lightning in some districts on Wednesday.

Isolated places in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, and Chamba districts received snow, according to the Met office.

Snowfall was also recorded in the famous tourist resort towns of Narkanda and Kufri in Shimla district, Dalhousie in Chamba, and Manali and adjoining areas in Kullu.

There were also reports of snowfall in parts of Mandi district, including Seraj, Prashar, Shikari and Kamrunag.

The snowfall kindled hope among hoteliers of an increase in tourist footfall.

It also brought cheer among horticulturalists worried by a dry spell plaguing the state. Snow is considered good for apple cultivation.

However, the precipitation was insufficient to bring the dry spell to a complete stop.

The Met office said Kothi received 33 cm of snow, followed by Gondla (11 cm), Keylong (9 cm), Kukumseri (8.3 cm), Bharmour (8 cm), Manali (7.4 cm), Jot (6 cm), Kalpa (7.3 cm), and Shillaroo and Khadrala (5 cm each).

Shimla town received sleet while adjoining Kufri received 4 cm of snow.

Saloni was the wettest place in the state, receiving 44.3 mm rainfall, followed by Kasol (30 mm), Karsog (24.3 mm), Bhuntar (21.4 mm), Jogindernagar (19 mm), Banjar (18.2 mm), Shimla (16.2 mm) and Gohar (16 mm).

Thunderstorms hit Shimla, Jubbarhatti, Kangra, Jot, Bhuntar, Palampur and Sundernagar while shallow fog was observed in Bilaspur and Mandi.

The fresh snowfall has made roads slippery at several stretches and police in Lahaul and Spiti have asked commuters to avoid unnecessary travel.

The Met office has issued a ‘yellow’ warning for thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra and Solan on Wednesday.

It also cautioned of dense fog at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur and Mandi on Thursday and Friday.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from Saturday.

Tabo in tribal Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place, recording a minimum temperature of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius while Una was hottest during the day at 24 degrees.

The state’s rainfall deficit from January 1 to February 5 was at 73 per cent, with Himachal Pradesh receiving 26 mm of rain against a normal of 96.7 mm.