Life getting back in gear after 3 days of inclement weather
Shimla, April 21
Life in Himachal Pradesh is slowly returning to normalcy after three days of inclement weather. The state witnessed a long spell of thunderstorms, rain, hailstorms, and snowfall, which resulted in the closure of many roads and caused disruptions in transportation.
Lahaul-Spiti district, in particular, has been severely affected, with heavy snowfall and shooting stones at multiple locations leading to the blockage of many roads. The district administration has issued an advisory, urging locals and tourists to exercise caution while traveling in the valley due to the possibility of avalanches.
Also read: Rainfall likely to continue in Himachal Pradesh
Vehicular movement on many routes has been restricted until further orders, with clearance of the roads being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Among the roads that are closed are NH-03 from North Portal to Darcha, Darcha – Shinkula – Zanskar (at Shinkula pass), and Sansari-Killar-Thirot-Tandi (SKTT) from Tandi to Kaddu Nullah. NH-505 from Lossar to Gramphu is also closed.
In a travel advisory, the administration has asked all hotel and homestay owners to advise their guests to move and stay in safe places in case of snowfall.
However, the fresh spell of snowfall in high reaches of Kullu Manali has brought cheer to tourists. The Met Office has recorded moderate to heavy snowfall in many places, including Gondla, Keylong, Khadrala, Kukamseri, Kalpa, Rohtang pass, Goshal hills, Kunzum pass, Lady of Keylong, Kaza, and Kinnaur Kailash. Â Gondla in Lahaul-Spiti had 22.5 cm snow, Keylong 12.8 cm and Khadrala in Shimla eight cm, Kukamseri (Lahaul-Spiti) had 5 cm snow and Kalpa in Kinnuar 3.8 cm.
The state has also witnessed widespread rain in the last 24 hours, with many places recording significant rainfall. Mashobra (Shimla): 59.5 mm, Manali 42 mm, Bhuntar 41 mm, Rohru (Shimla) 37 mm. Shimla 23.7 mm, Kufri 20 mm, Sundernagar  (Mandi) 18 mm, Airport Jubbarhati 15 mm Dharamshala 13 mm and Dalhousie 12 mm.
The minimum temperature has plummeted several degrees below normal, with Keylong being the coldest at minus three degrees Celsius. Kalpa was minus 0.4, Narkanda 1.4, Manali three, Kufri 4, Shimla 4.7, Dalhousie five, Chamba 9.7, Solan & Dharamshala 10.4,Mandi 10.6, Kangra 11, Hamirpur 12, Una 12.6,Nahan 16, Bilaspur 14.5 and Jubbarhati airport 9.3.
The Met Office has forecasted rain and thunderstorms in isolated places in the state in the next 24 hours, with a yellow warning in effect for the rest of the day.
Overall, while the inclement weather has caused disruptions and inconveniences, the fresh spell of snowfall has brought joy to tourists visiting the state.
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