Shimla, June 1
A fresh spell of pre-monsoon rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and hailstorms in isolated areas, has brought much-needed relief from the sweltering heat across Himachal Pradesh, transforming weather conditions into a pleasant retreat for residents and tourists alike.
The widespread showers over the past few days have led to a significant drop in temperatures across the state. While higher reaches experienced a renewed cold wave-like chill, the mid and lower hills witnessed comfortable weather conditions, ending the heatwave-like situation that had prevailed in the foothills during the last week.
Popular tourist destinations including Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie witnessed a heavy influx of visitors as tourists flocked to enjoy the cool climate and scenic beauty enhanced by the rains.
However, the tourist rush also resulted in massive traffic congestion on major highways and within urban centres, with long queues of vehicles and tourist cabs reported at several locations.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), light to moderate rainfall was recorded at several places during the past 24 hours. Sarahan received the highest rainfall of 34 mm, followed by Kalpa (24.6 mm), Sangla (17.4 mm), Dadahu (11.2 mm), Dhaula Kuan (11 mm) and Pooh (10.4 mm).
Maximum temperatures across most stations remained markedly below normal by 3 to 10 degrees Celsius. The state’s highest temperature was recorded at Una at 33.4 degrees Celsius, while Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti remained the coldest at 4.3 degrees Celsius.
The weather office has forecast another active spell from June 4 to 5, with light to moderate rain and snowfall likely at most places in the state. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30-50 kmph have also been predicted at isolated locations, particularly in Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Kangra, Chamba and Kullu districts.
Meteorologists said the prevailing weather pattern is being influenced by upper-air cyclonic circulations over central Pakistan and northeast Rajasthan.
The continuing pre-monsoon activity is expected to keep temperatures under check and maintain pleasant weather conditions across much of Himachal Pradesh during the coming week.
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