Light snowfall and rain hit parts of Himachal Pradesh; IMD predicts wet spell until March 21

Some remote areas in the higher regions of Himachal Pradesh received light snowfall, while the lower and middle hills experienced light rain on Monday, according to the local Meteorological (Met) office. Except for Tuesday, the state is expected to see wet weather until Friday.

Since Sunday evening, Kalpa recorded 17.9 cm of snow, Sangla received 8.6 cm, and Gondla got 1 cm. Thunderstorms were reported in several places, including Shimla, Jubbarhatti, Kangra, Sundernagar, Jot, and Bhuntar.

In parts of Mandi district, shallow fog reduced visibility to around 800 metres, while strong winds affected areas like Seobagh, Neri, Kotkhai, and Bilaspur.

Bhabhanagar received the highest rainfall at 21.6 mm, followed by Baghi (19.5 mm), Sandhole (19 mm), Bijahi (14 mm), Bhuntar (11.9 mm), Seobagh (11.2 mm), Kufri (11 mm), Theog (10 mm), Slapper (9 mm), and Sangla (8.2 mm). Shimla recorded 6.1 mm of rain, while Manali saw 6 mm.

The Met office has forecast light rain and snow in isolated areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, and the higher parts of Chamba from Wednesday to Friday, while Tuesday is expected to remain dry.

Keylong recorded the lowest temperature in the state at minus 5.1 degrees Celsius, while Dhaulakuan was the warmest, with a daytime temperature of 27.7 degrees Celsius.Between 1 and 17 March, Himachal Pradesh received 75.6 mm of rain, which is higher than the usual 63.8 mm for this period.Inputs from PTI