Snowfall, rain block 889 roads; power supply hit across Himachal
Met Department warns of more snow on February 1-2
At least 889 roads, including four National Highways (NHs), have been blocked across Himachal Pradesh following widespread heavy snowfall and rainfall, severely disrupting road connectivity and normal life in several parts of the state.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti has been the worst affected, with 292 roads rendered impassable, including NH-03 and NH-505. Shimla district reported the second-highest number of blockages, with 176 roads closed, followed by Mandi (128), Kullu (99, including NH-305), Chamba (91) and Kinnaur (75, including NH-05). In addition, 20 roads were blocked in Sirmour, 18 in Kinnaur, five in Kangra and three in Una district, leading to a near-complete halt of vehicular movement in many areas.
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The severe weather has also crippled power supply across the state. As many as 3,237 electricity transformers have been disrupted due to heavy snowfall, leaving thousands of residents without power. Shimla district alone reported 1,082 affected transformers, followed by Kullu (1,024), Mandi (369), Chamba (200), Lahaul and Spiti (199), Kinnaur (164), Sirmour (156) and Solan (43).
During the past 24 hours, the state witnessed intense snowfall in higher reaches and rainfall in lower and mid-hill areas. As per the Meteorological Department, Kothi village near Manali in Kullu district recorded the highest snowfall in the state at 75 cm. Other areas in Lahaul and Spiti — Koksar, Gondla, Kukumseri and Keylong — received 51 cm, 36 cm, 28.3 cm and 15 cm of snow, respectively. In Shimla district, Khadrala recorded 40.6 cm snowfall, while Sarahan and Kufri received 12.7 cm and 11 cm. Manali town itself recorded 28 cm of snowfall. In Kinnaur district, Kalpa, Pooh and Moorang received 17.7 cm, 16 cm and 12 cm snowfall, respectively.
Heavy rainfall accompanied the snowfall in several districts. Bhuntar in Kullu district recorded the highest rainfall at 55.4 mm, followed by Bilaspur (45.6 mm), Naina Devi (44.6 mm), Kasauli (44.2 mm), Sundernagar (42.4 mm), Jogindernagar (40 mm), Solan (39.2 mm), Mandi (32 mm), Kangra (31.8 mm), Shimla (29 mm), Una (23.6 mm), Dharamshala (23.4 mm) and Nahan (11.3 mm).
The Meteorological Department has forecast further heavy snowfall and rainfall across the state on February 1 and 2. Dry weather is likely on January 29, while light snowfall and rainfall are expected in higher hills on January 30 and 31. A yellow warning for dense fog and cold wave conditions has also been issued for Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Sirmaur districts for January 29 and 30.
