The fresh heavy snowfall occurred over night in this hill state disrupted normal life as Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Shimla districts experienced snowfall and down streams were lashed with heavy rainfall.
Report arriving at Shimla said that Kalpa, regional headquarters of Kinnaur district had 30 cm snowfall which is heaviest of this season, Chitkul, Sangla and Pooh areas of Shimla district also recorded two to three feet thick snowfall. National highway 22 was not only reported snowbound in the Kinnaur district but is also disrupted between Theog and Narkanda. The HRTC buses have been sent via Basantpur and Dhami to Rampur of Shimla and Kinnuar district.
Koksar in Lahaul and Spiti reported 60 to 65 cm snowfall and district headquarters Keylong and Bharmour in Chamba district 18 cm each. Two sorties of helicopter was conducted between Bhunter airport to Stingri and Tandi heliped of Lahaul and Spiti from where as many as 40 snowbound people were evacuated.
Life is out of gear in this district as Mashobra had 12 cm snowfall, Shimla town 8 cm, Kotkhai 7 cm and Jubbal 3 cm. Tourist resort Kufri and Narkanda also experienced about and 20 cm snowfall. The vehicular traffic to Kufri was opened this afternoon while it is likely to open thoroughly to Narkanda by today evening which was snowbound.
Vehicular traffic beyond Kharapather is also disrupted to Rohru subdivision as there is about 15 cm fresh snowfall. Report arriving from tourists resort Manali said that it had three centimeter fresh snowfall but there is heavy snowfall at Solang Nalah, Merhi and Rohtang Pass.
Dhauladhar in Kangra district, Baralacha and Saluni in Chamba district, Kaza in Spiti, Jalorijot and Shikari Devi in Kullu district, Mandi and Churdhar in Sirmaur district reported snowfall.
Shimla registers 8 cm snow and 15 mm rain in last 24 hours.
This capital town was found clad in white sheet as people came out from there houses today but snowfall was centered in the heart of town and it was not experienced in low line areas. It did not caused much trouble to commuters as MC Shimla cleared most of the road.
The heap of snowfall was found along the road. Tourists resort Mashobra, Kufri and Narkanda experienced continuous snowfall but it was cleared after few hours. HRTC plying bus services to Rampur and Kinnaur via Dhami and Basantpur. Kufri was thrown open by this afternoon upto Theog as buses have been sent to upper Shimla.
Downstream also witnessed heavy rainfall as Una had unprecedented 91 mm rainfall in the season followed by Bangana 70 mm, Dharamshala in Kangra district 67 mm, Mehre in Kangra district 66 mm, Amb in Una district 65 mm, Ghamroor Bilaspur 62 mm,Guler in Kangra district 55 mm, Palampur 53 mm and Gohar in Mandi district 51 mm.
Nahan in Sirmaur district 47 mm, Baijnath in Kangra district 46 mm, Nadaun in Hamirpur district 43 mm, Berthin in Bilaspur district, Dharampur in Solan district, Arki and Kasauli 40 mm each and Jhandutta in Bilaspur district 37 mm, Baldwara in Mandi district 36 mm and Jogindernagar 35 mm.
The Met. office forecast rain or snowfall on high reaches in next 24 hours, however, it would be mainly dry in rest of the state. But it said that rain or snowfall remained continue by today.
Night temperature plunged down after snowfall in Himachal as minimum temperature of Bharmour was minus 10 degrees, Keylong minus 8.9 degrees, Kalpa minus 3.8 degrees, Manali minus 2.4 degrees, Solan minus 0.2 degrees and Shimla minus zero degrees.
Sundernagar in Mandi district 1.6 degrees, Hamirpur, Nahan in Sirmaur district, Solan and Chamba 2 degrees each, Bhuntar in Kullu district and Palampur 3 degrees each, Bilaspur and Una 4 degrees.