Shimla, Mar 17: The meteorological centre here has issued an orange alert for hailstorm in isolated areas of Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Wednesday and Thursday.
It also issued a yellow alert of heavy rain and snow at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra and Kullu districts on Thursday and Friday, and in Mandi and Shimla districts on Friday.
Thunderstorm, lightning, and gusty wind with speeds of 40-60 kmph are likely in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, and Mandi districts from Wednesday to Friday.
Following snowfall, teams from the Manali administration, police and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) safely escorted over 200 vehicles from Atal Tunnel Rohtang to Manali on Tuesday.
As the weather department predicted more rain and snow in the coming days, vehicular movement has been restricted to Nehru Kund, officials said.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manali, Raman Kumar Sharma said that due to the snowfall, significant snow accumulation remains on the road, disrupting traffic flow. The administration’s priority is to ensure the route’s safety and safeguard the general public and tourists.
The snowfall in March has brought relief to farmers and horticulturists and is expected to significantly benefit agricultural and horticultural activities. Furthermore, Manali’s tourism sector has also received a major boost from this development and tourist inflow is expected to rise, said Hira Lal Rana, President of the Travel Agents Union.
President of the Luxury Coach Owners Association, Kapil Thakur advised that if tourists wish to enjoy the snow, they should either hire local drivers to accompany them or ensure they are driving a 4×4 vehicle before venturing out in snowy conditions
Snowfall was witnessed in isolated areas in Lahaul and Spiti, Kullu, Chamba and Kinnaur districts in the past 24 hours since Monday evening.
Gondla in Lahaul and Spiti district received 23.5 cm of snow followed by Keylong 20 cm, Jot 12 cm, Kukumseri 11.2 cm, Kalpa 8.8 cm, Bharmaur 8 cm, Hansa 7.5 cm and Manali 5 cm.
Rains lashed several places in the state. Seobagh received 32.8 mm of rain followed by Sarahan 32.5 mm, Bhuntar 30.4 mm, Dharamshala 28.2 mm, Palampur 22.2 mm, Manali 21 mm, Neri 19.5 mm and Kangra 17 mm.
There was no significant change in the minimum temperatures and Kukumseri was the coldest at night with a low of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius. However, the maximum temperatures saw a marked rise and Berthin was the hottest during the day recording a high of 26.9 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, a massive landslide near Lahal Kandh on the Pathankot-Bharmour National Highway blocked vehicular movement on that stretch. The administration has appealed to the public to refrain from travelling on this route for the time being due to the risk of further landslides. Restoration work has started, officials said.
