HP weather: Mercury plunges sub-zero, as three-day snowfall blankets upper regions
Shimla, Oct 17
Including on Tuesday the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh, have been experiencing continuous snowfall for the past three days. Moreover, cloudy and wet weather conditions prevail in the rest of the state. The minimum temperature in Keylong dropped to 0.7 degrees, marking the coldest this season.
According to the Meteorological Department, various areas experienced light snowfall, including the Churdhar ranges in Sirmaur, Rohtang Pass, Jalori Pass in Kullu, Hatu Peak, Chanshal in Shimla, and Jot in Chamba.
The district administration of Lahaul Spiti has issued a travel advisory for tourists and other commuters. The NH-03 road from Darcha to Sarchu, which connects Manali to Sarchu, is closed to all types of vehicular movement due to the heavy snowfall. Vehicular traffic between Manali and Leh, specifically between Darcha and Leh, has been disrupted for the past three days. Passengers are urged to exercise caution if traveling beyond Darcha, as the Darcha to Shinkula road is also closed due to snowfall.
The Meteorological Department reported significant rainfall in various areas, with Tourists resort Dalhousie receiving around 80 mm of rain, Chamba 74 mm, Kasauli in Solan 42 mm, Rohru in Shimla 32 mm, Paonta Sahib in Sirmour 28.4 mm, Jogindernagar in Mandi 28 mm, Shimla 26.6 mm, Jubberhati airport 23 mm, Dharmshala 20 mm, Manali 12 mm, Solan 21 mm, Kufri 19 mm, and Narkanda 12.5 mm.
The Met Office has issued a forecast predicting light to moderate rain in Sirmour, Solan, Shimla, Bilaspur, Mandi, and Hamirpur, as well as snowfall in Lahaul Spiti, Kangra, and Chamba districts in the next 24 hours.