Avalanche Warning Issued in Himachal; Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla and Kullu Among Districts on Alert

Shimla: An avalanche warning was issued on Wednesday for several areas in Himachal Presh as cold wave intensified in state following fresh snowfall and rain in tribal and hilly regions, news agency PTI reported. Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla, Chamba and Kullu districts are among high-altitude areas for which a warning has been issued till Thursday. A total of about 61 people have lost ir lives due to landslides, falling from height, drowning and fire since January 1 in state.

Ro Closures in Himachal: In Numbers

• A total of 405 ros, including four national highways, were shut amid heavy snowfall and over 500 electricity transformers were disrupted, PTI reported, citing state emergency response centre.
• Lahaul and Spiti h most number of ros closed - 288, followed by Chamba and Kullu, numbers for which stood at 83 and 21, respectively.

Snowfall and Rain in Himachal: In Numbers

• Koksar and Atal Tunnel received 45 centimeters of snow, followed by Sissu and Kothi, which got 30 centimeters.
• Keylong, Kusumseri, and Bharmour got 18 centimeters, 15.3 centimeters, and 8 centimeters of snow. 
• Manali was wettest with 29 millimeters of rain, followed by Salooni which received 25.3 millimeters of rain, and Tissa and Chamba which got 20 millimeters and 16 millimeters, respectively.
• Seobagh and Baijnath got 11 millimeters and 8.0 millimeters of rain, respectively.

Minimum Temperature in Himachal: In Numbers

Minimum temperatures across region dropped by a few notches, with several places shivering under sub-zero temperatures.

• Kusumseri was coldest in state with a low of minus 7.1 degrees 
• Sumdo recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2 degrees, 
• Bharmour and Kalpa both recorded minus 1.2 degrees, 
• Narkanda saw temperature dipping to minus 0.5 degrees, 
• Manali witnessed minus 0.1 degrees, and
• Shimla recorded 2.9 degrees

Rain over past few days has reduced seasonal winter rain deficit from 58 percent to 34 percent.

state received 104.2 mm against a normal of 158 cm from January 1 to February 21.

local Meteorological station has predicted dry wear in lower and mid hills for next four days and rain or snow at isolated places in higher hills on Thursday and Saturday, followed by anor wet spell on February 26 and 27. 

(With inputs from PTI)