Higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh witness first snow of New Year
The state experienced light snow in the higher reaches on December 31, bringing down the mercury in most parts
The higher reaches of the state witnessed fresh snow, marking the first snow of the New Year and bringing cheer to farmers and orchardists. The state had also experienced light snowfall in the higher reaches on December 31, bringing down the mercury in most parts of the state.
Snowfall occurred in Sissu, Koksar, and other parts of the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti, along with the higher reaches of Kinnaur, including the remote village of Chitkul and the popular tourist destination of Sangla. The popular hill stations of Manali and Dalhousie also witnessed snowfall, bringing cheer to tourists who had arrived there for their New Year’s celebrations. Videos of people enjoying themselves during the snowfall also made waves on social media. Additionally, snowfall also occurred at the popular tourist spot, Atal Tunnel.
However, Shimla only witnessed a cloudy day and experienced drizzle for a few minutes in the afternoon, partially ending a dry spell of over two months in the town. Kasauli, another popular hill station in Solan district, also experienced rainfall along with hail.
As a precautionary measure, the police have advised tourists not to travel to snow-bound areas. However, dry weather conditions are likely to prevail across the state, as State Meteorological Department has forecast dry weather across the state until January 7.
As a result, minimum temperatures across the state are likely to rise by 2°C to 5°C in the next five days. Similarly, maximum temperatures are also likely to rise by 3°C to 6°C in the same period. Shimla, the state’s capital, recorded a minimum temperature of 4°C, while Dharamsala and Manali recorded 5°C and 5.1°C, respectively.
The minimum temperature in Mandi was 6.7°C, Kangra 5.5°C, Solan 3.2°C, Bilaspur 7.5°C, Hamirpur 5.2°C, Kalpa 2.1°C, Sundernagar 5.8°C, Bhuntar 5°C, Nahan 7.9°C, Una 8.5°C, Kufri 1.5°C, Paonta Sahib 10°C, Narkanda 0.5°C, and Reckong Peo 2.8°C.
With a maximum temperature of 20.3°C, the Bajaura village in Kullu district was the hottest place in the state, while the Kukumseri village in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest, recording a minimum temperature of minus 3.4°C.
