Himachal Pradesh weather update: Amid winter drought, mercury plays truant too; Shimla hills see 6.4°C whereas plains of Una freeze at -1.8°C
The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: As Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing an unprecedented winter drought, the mercury too is playing truant. While the hills of Shimla and certain parts of tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti are witnessing minimum and maximum temperatures much above the normal range, it’s freezing cold in the plains.
According to the weather update provided by the Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature in Shimla stood at 6.4 degrees Celsius while it was a bone-chilling -1.8 degrees in the plains of Una, which has been engulfed by fog.
In Sundernagar, the mercury dropped to -0.7 degrees while Bhuntar recorded 0.1 degrees and Kalpa saw -0.2 degrees. In Dharamshala, it was 6.2 degrees while the mercury in Nahan stood at 6.1 degrees, Keylong at -4.6 degrees, Palampur at 3 degrees, Solan at 0.4 degrees, Manali at 1.2 degrees, Kangra at 3.8 degrees and Mandi at -1.5 degrees. Other locations such as Chamba, Dalhousie, Jubbarhatti, Kufri, Narkanda and Bharmour also experienced cold weather with temperatures ranging from 2.4 to -9.4 degrees.
The extreme cold has affected normal life in many districts, including Una and Mandi, where the minimum temperature has fallen below zero at seven locations. The challenging weather conditions have posed difficulties for the residents, with little respite expected in the coming days. The Meteorological Centre in Shimla has issued a yellow alert for dense fog in the plain districts of the state until January 16.
According to the Meteorological Centre, places such as Mandi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una, Nurpur (Kangra), Paonta Sahib and Dhaula Kuan (Sirmaur), and Solan (Baddi-Nalagarh) are likely to witness dense fog in the mornings over the next two days. Commuters have been advised to exercise caution during their morning travels. On Monday, residents in these areas faced visibility issues and harsh cold conditions due to dense fog.
Looking ahead, there is a forecast of rain and snowfall in several central and high-altitude regions of the state on January 16 and 17. The anticipated change in weather is attributed to the western disturbance. From January 18 onwards, the weather is expected to clear up across all parts of Himachal Pradesh.
