The Meteorological Centre at Shimla has issued an orange alert for heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh for Monday and Tuesday (July 22 and 23).
The warning is in effect for five districts on Monday and four districts on Tuesday. In light of this, tourists and local residents have been advised to remain vigilant.
Heavy rainfall was recorded in Shimla last night following the IMD’s warning. According to the alert, heavy rain is expected in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Solan and Sirmaur districts today, while Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts are forecasted to experience heavy rain tomorrow.
The IMD has predicted that the monsoon will stay active over the next six days, with significant rainfall anticipated between July 25 and 27.
Himachal Pradesh has experienced a weak monsoon for the past 20 days, with 43 per cent less rainfall than normal. From June 1 to July 21, the state typically receives 266.4 mm of rain, but this year it has only recorded 151.6 mm.
No district has received more than the average rainfall, with Sirmaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba seeing 50 per cent less rainfall than usual.
The lack of rain has led to rising temperatures across the state. The average maximum temperature has increased by 2.7 degrees Celsius above normal. Bhuntar and Dalhousie have seen the most significant increase, with temperatures rising by 6.3 degrees to 29.7 degrees Celsius. Bhuntar now records 37.1 degrees, Bilaspur 36.5 degrees (up by 4.1 degrees), Hamirpur 34.6 degrees (up by 3.2 degrees), Manali 27.3 degrees (up by 2 degrees) and Shimla 25.5 degrees (up by 2.7 degrees).
