Rains, thunderstorm hit normal life in HP

Normal life was hit in Himachal Pradesh today as thunderstorm, rains and sleet lashed several parts of the state, even as two persons were killed and 10 injured in an incident of lightning strike in Rampur here.
High-altitude and tribal areas experienced a fresh bout of snowfall, as wintry conditions returned with maximum day temperatures plummeting by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in the state, the MeT office said.
Rain-related incidents were reported from several parts of Himachal Pradesh.
The Hindustan-Tibet National Highway was closed beyond Rekong Peo due to landslides triggered by widespread rains in the region.
In the incident in Rampur, Gulshan and Tara Chand, residents of Khadahan village, died on the spot while Station House Officer (SHO) Sanjeev Kumar and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hoshiar Singh were injured, police said.

Uprooted trees blocked several roads while internet facilities were hit at many places in Shimla and its adjoining areas.

The transformer of the IGMC hospital here caught fire after a lightning bolt struck it, Senior Medical Superintendent Dr Romesh said.
The Churdhar and Dhauladhar ranges, and Rohtang and Chansel passes experienced intermittent snow fall. Rohtang, Koksar, Mari and Keylong received35 cm, 20 cm, 15 cm and 10 cm of snow respectively till evening, it said.
Kalpa was the wettest with 47 mm rain while Jogindernagar received 38 mm rain. Jhandutta recorded 34 mm rainfall, Udaipur and Seobagh 29 mm each, Manali 25 mm, Shimla 24 mm Salooni 23 mm, Bhuntar 20 mm and Nagrotasurian 19 mm. Dharamshala and Jubbal18 mm each.

Rampur and Palampur recorded 17 mm rainfall each, Kangra 16 mm, and Sarkaghat andChamba 15 mm each.
The mercury dropped from 23.9 degrees Celsius to 14 degrees Celsius at Shimla and 19. 5 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius at Kalpa.
Una recorded a high of 26 degrees Celsius against 37 degrees Celsius yesterday and other places also witnessed sharp fall in mercury.
The local MeT office has warned of thunderstorm, squall and hail in lower and mid hills tomorrow, and rains or snow at many places in higher hills over next two days.