Hamirpur, April 17: — Heavy rain, hailstorms and thunderstorms pounded Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, uprooting trees, damaging homes and triggering widespread power outages. An eight-year-old boy died in Hamirpur district when a tree collapsed on his hut during the storm.
The child, Abhishek Kumar, was sleeping in the makeshift shelter at Barsar when the tree fell. He was rushed to Barsar Civil Hospital but declared dead on arrival.
Snow in Lahaul, crop damage in apple belt
The higher reaches, including Gondla in Lahaul-Spiti, witnessed fresh snowfall, with 1 cm of snow reported. The MeT department recorded 28.8 mm rainfall in Seobagh (Kullu), followed by Kukumseri (23.8 mm) and Narkanda (18 mm). Hailstorms damaged crops in several areas, with apple orchards particularly hit during their flowering stage.
Horticulture and Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi confirmed crop loss and said a full damage assessment is underway. “Roads have been blocked due to fallen trees and some homes have sustained damage,” he said, adding that restoration work is in progress.
Orange alert in 12 districts
The weather office has issued an orange alert for hailstorm and heavy rain or snow at isolated places across Himachal on Thursday and Friday. Thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds are expected in 12 districts.
Shimla and other areas saw power outages lasting up to 10 hours, and several vehicles were crushed by falling trees. Makeshift structures housing migrant workers suffered extensive damage as storm winds tore through the region.
Temperature dips, rain deficit continues
Keylong remained the coldest at 0.5°C. Despite the rain, Himachal continues to face a 38% pre-monsoon rainfall deficit, having received 93.2 mm of rain against the normal 151.3 mm since March 1.
Maximum temperatures remained mostly unchanged, with Una recording the day’s highest at 37.2°C.
