Mild snowfall in Chamba, Kullu & Kinnaur, alert issued for today

Isolated places and higher reaches of Chamba, Kullu, and Kinnaur districts recorded mild snowfall on Monday, the local Met office said.

It issued an ‘orange’ warning for light to moderate snowfall at a few places, with one or two intense spells in Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts tomorrow. It also warned of snowfall in the higher reaches of Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, and Kangra districts.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded 1 cm of snow. There were also reports of snowfall in Manali and adjoining areas and Pangi in Chamba.

The Met office issued rainfall warning for a few places in Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Solan and parts of Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kangra and Kullu districts.

Following the snowfall warning, the police in Lahaul and Spiti issued an advisory, asking people to stay away from sensitive areas and avoid unnecessary travel. The Mandi administration advised the public to avoid travelling to higher reaches.

Meanwhile, hundreds of roads in the state were closed due to landslides and flashfloods in the past few days and the work to restore them was underway.

The Himachal Pradesh School Education Board had decided to postpone annual examinations for Class VIII to XII, scheduled to begin tomorrow, in the snow-hit areas of Pangi in Chamba district and Lahaul and Spiti district till Saturday, officials said.

Roads in Pangi and Lahaul and Spiti district have been severely damaged due to heavy rain and snowfall during the past few days, leading to the closure of several routes. As a result, question papers and other examination material could not be delivered to these regions. The examinations would follow the original schedule in other parts of the state.

There was no appreciable change in minimum temperatures. Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place at minus 10.2°C. Maximum temperatures declined markedly, with Dhaula Kuan in Sirmaur being the warmest at 26.3°C. (Inputs from PTI)