Hailstorm lashes Shimla, fresh snow in higher reaches

A severe hailstorm lashed Shimla and its surrounding areas this evening, disrupting normal life and causing sharp fall in mercury.
The hailstorm, accompanied by strong velocity winds and sharp showers, forced people to rush indoors and reduced visibility to zero. Vehicles were forced to move at a snail's pace with headlights on while people rushed indoors to save themselves from the storm.
The hailstorm was considered harmful for stone fruit and wheat cultivation in lower areas.
The tribal areas and other higher hills received another spell of moderate snowfall while lower and mid hills witnessed scattered rains.
The high altitude tribal areas, Rohtang and Kunzam Pass received 15 cm to 20 cm of snow while Moorang and Keylong had 5 cm of snow.

Bhandal received 15 mm of rains while key tourist destination of Manali recorded 11 mm rains, followed by Dalhousie 10 mm, Kalatop 8 mm, Dharamsala and Hamirpur 7 mm each, Bhuntar 6 mm, Bilaspur, Kasol and Seobagh 5 mm each, and Bajaura and Sarahan 3 mm each.

High altitude tribal areas recorded minimum temperatures between minus 10 and minus 18 degrees Celsius while Kalpa and Keylong recorded a low of minus 6.6 and minus 3.6 degrees.
Manali shivered at 0.8 degree while Shimla and Una recorded a low of 6.7 and 6.8 degrees, followed by Bhuntar 7.0 degrees, Solan and Sundernagar 7.5 degrees, Dharamsala 8.4, Palampur 9.0, and Nahan 13.4 degrees Celsius.

Una was the hottest in the region with a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius while Nahan and Sundernagar recorded a high of 22.3 and 21.3 degree, followed by Solan 20.5, Bhunter 18.0, Shimla and Dharamsala 15.2, Kalpa 9.8, and Manali 8.2 degrees Celsius.
The local MeT office has predicted snow at isolated places in higher hills over the next six days and rains or snow at some places in mid-hill during the next 48 hours.