SHIMLA, MARCH 15 — High-altitude regions of Himachal Pradesh received fresh snowfall while the lower areas were lashed by rain on Sunday, providing much-needed relief to the state’s agricultural and horticultural sectors. The change in weather has ended a month-and-a-half-long dry spell in the capital city of Shimla and surrounding areas, bringing a significant drop in temperatures across the state.
The meteorological department stated that the current wet spell is expected to persist until March 21. Officials affirmed that a yellow weather warning has been issued for 10 districts, excluding Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, for March 16 and 18. Moderate snowfall was recorded in Lahaul-Spiti, the Atal Tunnel area, and the higher reaches of Kullu and Shimla districts, including popular tourist spots like Kufri and Narkanda.
“The fresh precipitation has caused the minimum and maximum temperatures to dip by several notches across the state,” a weather official declared. Statistics showed that minimum temperatures dropped between 3°C and 7°C within a 24-hour window. Bhuntar recorded 12 mm of rain, while Shimla and Manali saw 6 mm and 8 mm respectively.
Authorities noted that Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti remained the coldest point at 1.4°C, while Nahan recorded the state’s highest temperature at 28.7°C. The department asserted that further temperature drops of 2°C to 6°C are likely in the coming days as the western disturbance continues to influence the Himalayan region.
