Shimla, Mar 15: The state capital of Shimla and its surrounding areas experienced a thunderstorm on Sunday, accompanied by hail and rain, while the higher-altitude regions in Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts received another round of fresh snowfall.
Dark, convective clouds covered the sky, significantly reducing visibility in some areas. The upper hills of Manali, including the Atal Tunnel, saw light snowfall.
Videos of tourists enjoying the snow near the tunnel have been circulating widely on the internet.
The snowfall has brought joy to tourism stakeholders, as the combination of snowfall in the hills and a heat wave in the plains during the holidays is expected to boost tourist footfall in the region. However, a perceived disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been a concern.
The Shimla Meteorological Office issued an orange warning for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in the districts of Shimla, Kullu, and Mandi for Sunday. They also predict light rain and snow in the state until March 21.
An orange alert for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds — with wind speeds between 40-50 km per hour — has been issued for Kullu and Shimla, as well as hail warnings for Solan and Sirmaur districts on Thursday, March 19.
Additionally, a yellow alert has been issued by the MeT for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds, also with wind speeds of 40-50 km per hour, in ten out of twelve districts, except Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
In the past 24 hours, a heat wave was noted in Nahan, which recorded a maximum temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon. In contrast, Tabo was the coldest location at night, with temperatures dropping to 1.4 degrees Celsius.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of March 17.
