Shimla,May 3
Unseasonal Rain & Wind storm wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh in past 24 hrs as Mercury plumeat drastically, uprooting tree killed four teachers, rooftop blown away and harvesting of Rabi crop disrupted in plain and mid hills.
Unseasonal rain, thunderstorm and strong winds have disrupted normal life across Himachal Pradesh over the past 24 hours, causing damage to crops, property and basic services.
In a tragic incident in Kullu district, four women teachers were killed when a tree, uprooted by strong winds, fell on a moving jeep near Killing. The teachers were returning home after duty. At several places, roofs were damaged, trees were uprooted and roads were blocked. Power supply, water supply and communication services were also affected in many areas.
Windstorm wreak havoc in many places of Himachal as roof tops blown away, Trees uprooted mostly in Kullu district. A multistory building went viral on social media claimed a place kudu in Kullu and solar panels of Dada Dadi Parks are blown away in Shimla.
According to the Meteorological Centre Shimla , light to moderate rainfall was recorded at many places. Palampur received the highest rainfall of 30.0 mm, followed by Rampur 29.0 mm, Sarahan 28.7 mm, Rohru 25.0 mm and Aghar 24.6 mm. Other places also recorded rain, including Bilaspur 19.6 mm, Berthin 16.6 mm, BBMB 12.4 mm, Gohar 12.0 mm, and Pandoh and Dharamshala 11.5 mm each.
Thunderstorm and lightning were reported from Shimla, Jubberhati, Kangra, Sundernagar and Bhuntar. Gusty winds were also recorded, reaching up to 44 kmph in Bilaspur. Hailstorm in Dharamshala and nearby areas damaged standing crops and fruit orchards, especially apple crops. Ripening Rabi crops have also been affected due to untimely rain.
There are reports of fresh snowfall over higher reaches like Churdhar and Rohtang Pass, indicating cold conditions in the state even in early May.
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Temperatures have dropped across Himachal Pradesh. The lowest minimum temperature was recorded at Tabo at 4.4°C. In general, minimum temperatures were between 4°C to 6°C in high hill areas, 9°C to 18°C in mid hill areas, and 15°C to 22°C in low hills and plains .
For major locations, the minimum temperatures fall within these ranges:
Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Solan, Mandi, Palampur, Nahan, Bhuntar and Jubberhati remained in the 9°C to 18°C band, while Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur were in the 15°C to 22°C range. Higher areas like Kalpa and Keylong recorded temperatures in the 4°C to 6°C range.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert warning of thunderstorm, lightning, hail and strong winds. Light to moderate rainfall is likely at most places on May 3 and 4, and at many places on May 5. The wet weather may continue till May 7 .
The ongoing rain is likely to affect sowing of off-season vegetables. Farmers have reported damage to apple crops due to hailstorms. The cold and rainy weather has also reduced tourist footfall in Shimla and Dharamshala over the weekend.
With an active western disturbance over the region, weather conditions are expected to remain unstable in the coming days.
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