Heavy rain lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday (July 18, 2024) night, leading to significant disruptions and widespread impact.
The heaviest rainfall was recorded in Nahan with 63.9 mm, followed by Kandaghat with 48 mm, Dhaula Kuan with 39.5 mm, Pachhad with 27.3 mm and Shimla with 26.4 mm. After a long dry spell, Shimla finally experienced rain, followed by a sunny morning, which later gave way to fog.
The Meteorological Centre in Shimla has issued a yellow-orange alert for heavy rain across many parts of the state for the upcoming week. Specifically, an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for July 22 and 23. The warning indicates the potential for significant rainfall that could cause further disruptions.
The heavy rain has already caused considerable damage and inconvenience. In the tribal district of Kinnaur, vehicular movement came to a complete halt due to a landslide on the National Highway-5 in Powari.
Around 1 o’clock on Wednesday night, a landslide triggered by the irrigation canal of the Jal Shakti Department near Boktu brought a large amount of debris and big stones onto NH-5, turning it into a swamp.
As a result of the highway closure, 27 panchayats in Pooh section and the Kaza-Spiti region were cut off from the rest of the world. The National Highway was finally restored around 4 pm on Thursday.
The minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 16.5 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in other parts stood at: Sundernagar 23.6, Bhuntar 23.2, Kalpa 15.9, Dharamshala 21, Una 25, Nahan 24.1, Palampur 20.5, Solan 20.6, Manali 20.2, Kangra 23.2, Mandi 25.8, Bilaspur 25.9, Hamirpur 25.3, Chamba 22.7, Dalhousie 15.6, Jubbarhatti 21, Kufri 21, Narkanda 14.5, Bharmour 18.6, Reckong Peo 20.3, Berthin 25.1, Kasauli 17.4, Paonta Sahib 26, Dehra Gopipur 27, Tabo 16.5 and Mashobra recorded 16 degrees Celsius.
