Rain lashes Shimla, fresh snowfall in higher reaches

A severe thunderstorm accompanied by heavy showers lashed Shimla and its adjoining hills this evening while higher reaches received fresh snowfall.
Heavy showers lashed Shimla and overcast sky reduced visibility to few meters, affecting vehicular traffic.
The high altitude tribal areas and other higher reaches including Dhauladhar and Churdhar ranges and Pangi and Pin valleys experienced intermittent snowfall while adjoining lower hills were lashed by rains.
Keylong and Kalpa in Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur district received 10 cm and 8 cm of snow till this evening while sharp showers lashed the mid hills.
Una was hottest in the region with maximum temperature at 28.4 degrees Celsius while Nahan and Solan recorded a high of 26.3 deg and 24 deg, followed by Sundernagar 20.5 deg, Bhuntar 19.1 deg, Shimla 15.9 deg and Kalpa 12.6 deg C.

The snow clearance work on Manali-Keylong-Leh highway was hampered due to fresh snowfall and the Lahaul and Spiti district administration has warned the people not to venture out in view of impending avalanche threat.

However, minimum temperature increased by one to two degrees during past 24 hours and Una was hottest during the night with minimum temperature at 14.7 deg, while Nahan, Sundernagar and Palampur recorded a low of 14 deg, 13 deg and 12.5 deg, 3 to 4 deg above normal, followed by Bhuntar 12 deg, Shimla and Dharamsala 11.6 deg and Kalpa 4 deg C.
Keylong and Kalpa were comparatively warmer after the snowfall with minimum temperatures rising to 0.5 deg and 4.2 deg, 2 deg above normal.

The local MeT office has forecast rain or thundershowers at a few places in plain and middle hills and rain or snow at isolated parts in the high reaches during the next 24 hours.