Fresh Snow Blankets Shimla, Higher Reaches Of Mandi, Kangra Likely To Receive Snowfall

The local Met office had earlier issued a yellow warning of lightning and thunderstorm at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, and Solan on Wednesday.

Himachal Pradesh's Shimla witnessed a fresh spell of snowfall as people in the region woke up to a white blanket on Wednesday morning. Narkanda, a popular tourist hotspot in the Shimla district received snowfall.

The local Met office had earlier issued a yellow warning of lightning and thunderstorm at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, and Solan on Wednesday. It had also warned of dense fog at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur and Mandi districts on Thursday and Friday (February 6-7).

On Feburary 4, the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh, including the North Portal of Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, received snowfall, turning the roads slippery and reducing the visibility. 

Kalpa in Kinnaur district received 0.2 cm of snow and 4 mm rain, while Sissu, Jispa and Sarchu in Lahaul and Spiti and Dalhousie in Chamba district also received snowfall. This comes as Mandi witnessed shallow fog while cold wave was observed in Una and Berthin since Monday evening.

Fresh Western Disturbance To Hit Northwest India

The local Met office said that a western disturbance could emerge due to a cyclonic circulation which lies over west Afghanistan and adjoining Iran, which is expected to move east-northeast wards in the next during the next two days.

"As a consequence, light snowfall is likely at many places and isolated spells of moderate snowfall are very likely in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and higher reaches of Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kullu districts. Light rainfall is expected over many places in the remaining parts of Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kullu districts by the midnight of February 5," it added. 

A fresh western disturbance is also likely to affect northwest India from February 8.

On Tuesday afternoon, Tabo in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the coldest night, with a low of minus 7.1 degree Celsius, while Una was the hottest with 25 degree Celsius.

This winter season Himachal Pradesh experienced a rain deficit of 86 per cent from January 1 to February 4 as the state received 13.4 mm of rain against 94.1 mm normal rainfall seen during this period.