Fresh snowfall paralyzes daily life in Himachal; 5 national highways closed, red warning issued
The fresh spell of rain and snow that lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh resulted in as many as 441 roads, including five national highways, being closed to vehicular traffic, officials said.
Himachal Pradesh Snowfall: Fresh snowfall in upper Himachal Pradesh brought daily life to a standstill in tribal districts of Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur on Saturday. The fresh spell of rain and snow that lashed parts of the hilly state saw as many as 441 roads, including five national highways, closed to vehicular traffic, officials said.
Snowfall in higher reaches of Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul & Spiti districts led to roads being closed and transformers non-functional, they said.
Roads, highways closed
A total of 290 roads have been closed in Lahaul & Spiti, 58 in Chamba, 56 in Kinnaur, 17 in Kullu, 10 in Mandi, nine in Shimla and one in Kangra. At least 1,314 transformers are out of service in Himachal Pradesh, according to the State Emergency Operation Center.
The remote Dodra Kwar sub-area of Shimla district has been cut off from the rest of the state, with the Shimla-Kinnaur Road near Negulsari closed due to shooting stones. The heavy snowfall has also led to the closure of the Rohtang Pass.
Koksar in Lahaul & Spiti received 88.3 cm of snow – the highest in the state.
Gondla received 61.2 cm of snow, Kukumseri 58 cm, followed by Keylong, 53 cm, Kalpa, 51.7 cm, Pooh and Pangi, 30 cm each, Khadrala, 16 cm, Sangla, 11.2 cm, Moorang, 9.3 cm, and Atal Tunnel and Manali, 6 cm each.
Rains lash the lower plains
While the higher reaches were covered under a fresh blanket of snow, the middle and low hills of the state were lashed by intermittent rain.
With 84 mm rainfall, Manali was the wettest in the state, followed by Banjar, 80.2 mm, Seobagh, 77.4 mm, Reckong Peo, 48 mm, Bharmour, 47 mm, Sarahan, 47 mm, Rampur and Chamba, 45 each mm, Dalhousie, 44 mm, Chopal, 42 mm, and Rohru, 40 mm.
The local Met office in Shimla has issued a ‘red alert’ for Saturday predicting thunderstorms with lightning, hailstorms and heavy rain at isolated places, accompanied by winds gusting at speeds of 40-50 kilometers per hour.
Snow paralyzes normal life
The power outage paralyzed daily life in the state and caused avalanches and landslides in many places.
Five vehicles parked along the road were buried in an avalanche near Nehrukhund on Manali-Solang Nallah road. No casualty was reported.
A house was damaged after a landslide in Bharmaur area of Chamba district while few houses are still at risk of damage.
More snow, rain predicted
Snow and rain in the state will continue until Sunday. The weather will remain dry in the plains, low and mid-hills from March 4 to 5, while snow and rainfall will continue in the higher areas, said Surender Paul, director of Shimla Meteorological Centre.
Kalpa in Kinnaur tribal district was the coldest place in the state with a night temperature of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius.
The local MeT office has forecast a wet spell in the state till March 7 as another western disturbance would hit the western Himalayan region from the night of March 5.
(With input from agencies)