The upper districts of Himachal Pradesh witnessed snowfall as the meteorological office in Shimla issued orange warning for hailstorm, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds in four to five districts on April 7 and 8.
In the last 24 hours, since Saturday evening, Gondla in Lahaul and Spiti tribal district received 28.2 cm of snow, followed by Keylong with 20 cm, Hansa with 5 cm, and Kokumsiri with 1.3 cm.
Intermittent to moderate rain fell in parts of the state. Sarahan received 23.5 mm of rain, followed by Dharamshala and Sundernagar 18.2 mm, Manali 18 mm, Mandi 16.2 mm, Shimla 13.4 mm, Kukumsiri 13.2 mm, Kalpa 11 mm, Gubarhati 10.9 mm, Palampur 10.6 mm and Kasauli 10 mm.
Rain followed by a heavy hailstorm hit Shimla on Saturday evening, covering the city with a thin layer of frost within minutes. Hail also happened in Sundernagar district.
Thunderstorm and lightning occurred in Shimla, Sundernagar, Goberhati, Bhuntar, Kangra, Murari Devi, Jot and shallow fog was seen in Sundernagar. Meteorology said gusty winds with speeds ranging from 35 to 48 kilometers per hour were seen in Tabo, Nyeri and Siopag.
The Met Office has issued an orange alert for hailstorms, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40 to 60 km per hour in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A new Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India starting Wednesday. The Meteorological Department also expected a wet wave in the state until April 11.
The Tabo area was the coldest at night, with a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures recorded a significant rise, with Una being the hottest day at 34 degrees Celsius.
During the pre-monsoon season from March 1 to April 5, Himachal Pradesh received 115.4 mm of rainfall, compared to the normal rainfall of 123.5 mm, resulting in a deficit of seven per cent.
