Day temperatures drop marginally across HP

The day temperatures dropped marginally across Himachal Pradesh as weather remained cloudy with the MeT office forecasting dry weather in the region over the next six days.

The weather would remain dry in the lower and the higher hills over the next six days while rains and thundershowers would occur at isolated places in the mid hills on May 19 and 29 in the mid hills and dry weather would be witnessed on the rest of the days, the Meteorological office said.

Keylong was coldest in the region with a low of 4.5 degrees Celsius, while Manali and Kalpa recorded the minimum temperatures at 7.6 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius, followed by Kufri 11.9 degrees Celsius, Bhuntar 14 degrees Celsius, Shimla 15.6 degrees Celsius, Solan 16.8 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar and Palampur 18 degrees Celsius, Dharamsala 18.8 degrees Celsius, Nahan 21.4 degrees Celsius and Una 23.2 degrees Celsius.

The day temperatures dropped marginally 40.9 degree at Una which was hottest in the region while Sundernagar and Nahan recorded a high of 34.5 and Nahan 33.8 degrees Celsius, followed by Dharamsala 29.8 degrees Celsius, Palampur and Solan 29.5 degrees Celsius, Bhuntar 28 degrees Celsius, Shimla 24.7 degrees Celsius, Manali 19.2 degrees Celsius, Kalpa 16.3 degrees Celsius and Keylong 13.0 degrees Celsius.

Despite periodical rains and storms, the region received 141.9 mm average rains against normal rainfall of 221.8 mm from March 1 to May 18 and the rain deficit was 36 per cent.

The rain deficit was 49 per cent in Lahaul and Spiti, 37 per cent in Kinnaur, 31 per cent in Bilaspur, 22 per cent in Kullu, 21 per cent in Kangra, 19 per cent in Shimla, 15 per cent in Chamba, 13 per cent in Una and 10 per cent in Mandi. Sirmaur and Hamirpur received 25 per cent and eight per cent excess rains while rain deficit was marginal at five per cent in Solan district.

After near normal monsoon, the state received 72 per cent deficit rains in winters and 48 per cent deficit in the post monsoon season.