Major spell of snow in high reaches of Himachal Pradesh
Shimla, Jan 30,
The high reaches of Chamba, Lahaul Spiti, Kangra, and Kullu districts in the State of Himachal Pradesh are experiencing a major spell of snowfall of this winter season on Tuesday.
According to the Superintendent of District Lahaul and Spiti, snowfall began three hours ago on major high reaches, including the Dhauladhar range and Bara Bhangal area of Kangra, Manimesh of Chamba, the gateway of Lahaul Spiti district, 13,050 ft high Rohtang pass, Lady of Keylong, Seven Sisters Hills, district headquarters Keylong, and North portal of Rohtang pass.
The Lahaul and Spiti Police successfully rescued stranded tourist vehicles during snowfall near Koksar in the district. The district police are continuously patrolling many areas for the safety of tourists and local people. So far, no tourist vehicles have been found stuck in the district due to snowfall, and tourists have been safely sent to their destination on time.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), Kullu mentioned that tourists and locals are advised about the light snowfall in ATR North Portal in the district. The district police administration requests the general public to travel only in important situations. An orange alert has been issued by the Weather Forecasting Department for bad weather in the district in the coming days.
It is worth mentioning that a yellow alert has also been sounded at a few places in the high reaches, including a warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy snowfall in the next two days.
In other parts of the state, it was mainly dry but foggy during the day and partly cloudy in the evening. The state is likely to experience light to moderate rainfall in many places in the mid hills in the next 24 hours.
High hills may witness the first major spell of snowfall and rainfall in most places, which would be welcomed by the people as it would end a four-month-long dry spell. The Indian Meteorological Department forecasts that inclement weather conditions may also persist into next week, with two western disturbances becoming active from midnight and onwards from February 3.
An orange warning of heavy rain or snowfall has been issued in a few places in Chamba, Mandi, Kangra, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti, and Shimla districts on the night of January 30 and February 2. An orange warning was issued in isolated places of the state on January 31 and February 1, with the IMD mentioning thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy snow at isolated places in mid and high hills. A yellow alert has also been issued for the rest of the district from January 31 to February 2.
Inclement weather may cause disruptions to essential services, including water and electricity, communications, and related services. Visibility conditions are likely to decrease, creating difficulties in commuting, which may also disrupt traffic due to heavy snowfall in mid and high hills.
According to agro-met advisories, farmers should keep livestock indoors due to low temperatures and make adequate arrangements for keeping them warm. In case of low temperatures, provide artificial lighting and heating for animals. Since the temperature is expected to drop further, give winter packing to bee colonies. Advise to give winter packing immediately to colonies and provide artificial food to honey bees as there is a scarcity of flowers during these days.
The IMD also suggests that administrations should issue traffic advisories and release proper guidelines to concerned departments. Commuters are expected to check for traffic congestion on their route before leaving for their destination.
Earlier today, the weather was almost pleasant but partly hazy and sunny. Maximum and minimum temperatures stayed two to three degrees above normal. The minimum temperature of Keylong was near minus seven degrees, Kaza minus nine, Kukumesri minus 4.9, Kalpa minus 2.6, Narkanda 0.4, Manali 1.1, tourist resorts Kufri, Solan, Bhuntar airport, and Mandi at two degrees, Hamirpur 3.5, Dalhousie 3.7, Una, Shimla, and Bilaspur at four degrees, Jubberhati airport and Kangra at five degrees each, and Dharmshala at six degrees, while Nahan in Sirmour recorded 7 degrees.
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