At least 87 roads, including the Atari-Leh National Highway 3 near Rohtang Pass in Manali, have been closed in Himachal Pradesh after the state received its first snowfall of the season.
The snowfall ended a 10-week dry spell, bringing relief and joy to farmers, apple growers, and hoteliers. Areas like Shimla, Kufri, Fagu, Chansel, Narkanda, and the Churdhar ranges, along with several high mountain passes, experienced snow on Sunday evening. Other popular tourist destinations, including Manali, Kasauli, and Chail, also saw snowfall. Additionally, power outages affected some parts of the state as 457 transformers were disrupted.
87 ROADS CLOSED IN HIMACHAL
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 87 roads were closed statewide, with 58 in Shimla, 17 in Kinnaur, 6 in Kangra, 2 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 1 each in Kullu and Chamba districts. Since Sunday evening, Lahaul and Spiti police rescued around 800 people stranded in 490 vehicles due to the snowfall. Snow and slippery road conditions also disrupted traffic in the upper Shimla region. Despite these challenges, schools in Shimla remained open due to ongoing exams, and the supply of essential goods continued unaffected.
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Shimla recorded 2.5 cm of snow, with areas like The Ridge, Mall Road, and Jakhoo Peak covered in a light layer. High-altitude regions and mountain passes were also blanketed in snow, causing temperatures to drop by 4 to 6 degrees. In the high-altitude tribal areas, temperatures plummeted between 12 to 18 degrees below freezing. Tabo recorded a low of minus 12.3°C.
Other snowfall measurements include Koksar with 6.7 cm, Khadrala with 5 cm, Sangla with 3.6 cm, Keylong with 3 cm, and both Nichar and Shimla with 2.5 cm. The lower hills of the state, including Kandaghat, Kasauli, Jubbarhatti, and Mandi, saw light rainfall, with Kandaghat recording 2.2 mm, Kasauli 2 mm, Jubbarhatti 1.9 mm, and Mandi 1.4 mm.
The intense cold wave continued, with temperatures staying 2 to 6 degrees below freezing in several areas. From October 1 to December 9, the post-monsoon rainfall deficit decreased from 98% to 96%, thanks to light rain and snowfall. The state recorded just 2.1 mm of rain against a normal of 49.3 mm during this period.
The rain deficit was most severe in Chamba (100%), followed by Bilaspur, Kullu, Sirmaur, and Hamirpur (99%), Kangra and Solan (97%), and Shimla (96%). The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow warning for dense fog in parts of the Bhakra Dam reservoir area (Bilaspur) and Balh Valley (Mandi) during early morning, morning, and late-night hours on December 10 and 11.