Shimla, June 18
Himachal Pradesh continues to endure severe heatwave and dry weather conditions, with temperatures remaining five to six degrees above normal.
According to the IMD’s Monday weather bulletin, Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 30.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, while Una reached 44 degrees. In the past 24 hours, Shimla experienced a slight decrease of 0.4 degrees but remained 5.7 degrees above normal. Una, the hottest location in the state, saw a minor drop of 0.6 degrees yet stayed 6.7 degrees above normal.
Shimla is grappling with a drinking water shortage, leading to alternate water supply intervals of two to three days, impacting the hospitality industry. The Shimla Municipal Corporation is deploying water tankers, but hotels and restaurants are resorting to providing bottled mineral water.
In the well-known Coffee House, customers had to purchase bottled water after two water tankers were exhausted.
The heatwave has also caused a sudden influx of tourists, increasing crowding in public places and causing traffic jams on various roads. Popular tourist spots such as Manali, Kufri, Narkanda, Keylong, Kalpa, Sangla, Dalhousie, Khajjiar, and Dharamshala are attracting many visitors seeking relief from the sweltering conditions.
For the past five days, ten locations in Himachal Pradesh have been experiencing abnormal heatwave conditions, with temperatures consistently above 40 to 41 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures recorded include 43.5 degrees in Dhaulakuan and Neri, 42 degrees in Hamirpur and Bilaspur, 41 degrees in Sundernagar, Berthin, and Kangra, and 40 degrees in Nahan and Mandi.
Other notable temperatures include Bhuntar airport at 39 degrees, Solan at 37.5 degrees, Jubberhati airport at 34 degrees, Dharamshala at 31.5 degrees, Kalpa at 27 degrees, Keylong at 22.9 degrees, Manali at 31 degrees, Dalhousie at 29.7 degrees, Kufri at 25.4 degrees, Narkanda at 26.2 degrees, Kasauli at 34.3 degrees, and Mashobra at 30.9 degrees.
The IMD has forecast light pre-monsoon showers for today and tomorrow in isolated to few places, but mainly dry weather is expected to persist across the rest of the state, with drought conditions likely to continue for the next few days.
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