Orange warning for hailstorm issued in HP, parts of state receive rain

Parts of Himachal Pradesh received rains as the local met department issued an orange warning for hailstorm at isolated places in the state on Saturday.

The Shimla Meteorological office has also issued yellow warnings of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with a speed of up to 30-50 kmph till next Friday.

Bilapsur, Reckong Peo, Hamirpur and Tabo saw gusty winds in the last 24 hours since Friday evening.

In the same period, Dehra Gopipur was wettest with 37.2 mm of rain, followed by Poanta Sahib 17.4 mm, Shimla 16.6 mm, Kandaghat 15 mm, Jubbarhatti 14.8 mm, Kufri 14.5 mm, Barrage 10.4 mm and Solan 10 mm.

There were no significant change in minimum temperatures and Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night, recording a low of 5.9 degrees Celsius, the Met said on Saturday.

Dharamsala and its surrounding areas have also experienced cold and wet weather in the recent days and with the Met predicting, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds.

The unseasonal weather can cast a shadow over the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 matches scheduled at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala.

The HPCA Stadium, considered as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds due to its picturesque surroundings is set to host three games Punjab Kings vs Lucknow SuperGiants on May 4, Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals on May 8 and Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians on May 11.

The HPCA officials had offered a special prayer at Indru Nag Dev Temple (temple of rain god) for uninterrupted IPL matches in Dharamshala.

The stadium has a new sub-air system that can dry the ground in 15-20 minutes after rain, allowing play to resume quickly, Sanjay Sharma an official of HPCA said.