The month of May, which is considered to be the hottest, is oddly seeing snow in different hilly regions. On Monday morning, Jammu and Kashmir as well as Himachal's Manali witnessed snowfall that brought down the temperatures. Pahalgam, Betaab Valley, and Manali were covered in white and powdery snow. Meanwhile, the lower regions were witnessing rainfall. Snow in Jammu and Kashmir comes a week after the Char Dham Yatra had to be halted due to heavy snowfall and rain in low-lying areas.
In videos shared by PTI, Betaab Valley and Pahalgam looked like it was winter in May.
Jammu Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) on Sunday issued an avalanche warning for Baramulla for 24 hours. "Avalanche with Low Danger Level is likely to occur above 3000 metres above sea level over Baramulla district in the next 24 hours," read an official statement.
Similarly, snow in Manali brought down the temperatures significantly in nearby regions. The local Met office, on Sunday, issued a ‘yellow’ warning of thunderstorms and lightning on May 8 and predicted light to moderate rain in low and mid hills. Meanwhile, light rain and snow are forecast in higher reaches on May 8 and 9.
The fresh snowfall and rain caused a sharp fall in minimum temperatures which stayed two to eight degrees below normal, on Sunday.
Parts of Sundernagar, Shimla, Bhuntar, Kangra, Nahan, and Nurpur were lashed by thunderstorms while gusty winds swept Nurpur and Bilaspur. However, reports of damage to crops and fruits came from Hamirpur, Bilaspur, and Una.