StatesHimachal Pradesh
Himachal braces for snow on the heights and rain below, yellow alert in seven districts
The State Meteorological Centre expects wet weather from Wednesday to Friday, with hail likely in places and temperatures set to drop by up to 4°C.
Key points
- A yellow alert is in force for Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Chamba, Bilaspur and Una on Wednesday.
- Snow on higher reaches and rain elsewhere is forecast to continue until 17 October.
- Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest minimum of 0.5°C.
Snowfall on Himachal Pradesh’s higher reaches and rain across the rest of the state are set to pick up from Wednesday, and the State Meteorological Centre in Shimla has issued yellow alerts until 15 October.
Wednesday’s alert covers seven districts: Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Chamba, Bilaspur and Una. Thunderstorms with lightning and hail are likely at isolated places, and the weather office has warned that hailstorms could cause significant damage to standing crops.
The wet spell is expected to last until 17 October before the skies clear, though the yellow alerts themselves run only until Thursday. Over that period, minimum temperatures are forecast to fall by 2°C to 3°C and maximum temperatures by 2°C to 4°C.
The past 24 hours were mostly dry, with only very light rain in places. Una was the warmest place in the state at 33°C, while Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti dropped to 0.5°C. Minimum temperatures across the state ranged from about 0°C to 21°C.
Shimla reached a maximum of 23.8°C and nearby Kufri 18.8°C. In the Kullu valley, Manali touched 19.8°C and Bhuntar 30°C. Dharamshala and Solan recorded 27°C, Chamba 27.5°C, Mandi and Kangra 29.5°C, Sundernagar 30.3°C and Bilaspur 30°C. In the tribal belt, Kalpa in Kinnaur reached 22.8°C and Keylong 13.3°C, the coldest daytime reading among the main stations.