Mercury dips 9 to 10 degrees below normal in HP

Mercury dipped by nine to ten degrees Celsius on Friday following unprecedented rain and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh as day temperature plummet to freezing point in bone bitting cold wave.

Keylong, headquarter of Lahaul Spiti Maximum temperature recorded minus 4.2 degree Celsius,  Kufri, Dalhousie and Kalpa was almost at freezing point at zero degrees. Maximum temperature of Shimla and Manali was 1.2 and 1.8 degrees  (after 27 cm Snowfall) plummetted ten degrees below normal.

Solan was 4.4 degrees, 14 degrees below normal, Dharmshala and Mandi seven degrees and 11 degrees below normal, Hamirpur eight degrees, Nahan(Sirmour), Chamba and Bilaspur ten degrees each, Kangra 11 degrees and Una 14.8 degrees.

Continuous snow and freezing temperature has cut off number of places in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Lahaul Spiti, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Mandi and Shimla district from the rest of world and cold wave and inclement weather since yesterday hampered restoration work to open the roads.

A police Spokesperson in a advisory issued here today said that number of main roads are snowbound .

State police urged people to avoid unnecessary traveling on roads as it is snowing continuously. In any emergency, please contact 112 or nearest Police Station.

Snow and landslides blocked NH-5 between Shoghi to Shimla, Shimla to Mashobra, Theog and Rampur, NH-88 between 16- Mile to Shimla, Cart road Shimla, Theog to Chopal, Theog to Rohru and  Narkanda to Nankhari and Rohru to Rampur (via Sungri)

In Chamba, Khajjiar to Dalhousie via Lakkarmandi, Chamba to Jot near Gajnui,  Chamba to Bharmour near Mehla,  Chamba to Tissa near chanjunala, Chamba to Kihar near Manjeer and Chamba to Pangi at Sach Pass road are snow bound.

In Sirmaur, Sangarh to Nohradhar & Haripurdhar, Rajgarh to Nohradhar and  Rajgarh to Habban, In Kullu  Banjar to Ani in Jalori pass, Solang nala to Atal Tunnel are snow bound In Mandi,  Mandi to Karsog at Rohanda,  Janjehli – Chattari at Maggar galu and Kandhi – Kataula road are blocked.

In Lahaul-Spiti, NH-03: ATR to Lehabd NH505: Gramphu to Lossar road are snow bound, police spokesperson added.