Himachal may get heavy rains on Wednesday

The low and mid hills of Himachal Pradesh may get heavy rains and thundershowers from Wednesday, a weatherman said.

"There are chances of heavy rainfall and thundershowers in the low and mid hills on June 24-25," an official of the local Met office told IANS.

He said precipitation occurred at many places on Monday, but there was no appreciable change in the minimum and maximum temperatures.

While Mashobra near Shimla recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 43 mm, it was 31 mm in tourist resort Chail and 5 mm in picturesque Kasauli.

State capital Shimla saw 13 mm rain and recorded a maximum temperature of 25.3 degrees Celsius.

Dharamsala recorded a maximum of 30.2 degrees Celsius, while it was 22.8 degrees in Kalpa in Kinnaur district.

Officials said the southwest monsoon normally hits the state by June 27 and this time it is expected to arrive on time.

Last year, the rain deficiency in the state during the monsoon was 38 percent.

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in the state, providing direct employment to 69 percent of its workforce.