School vacations extended amid fresh snowfall prediction in HP's Kullu

Winter vacation in schools of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district has been extended by four days following the Meteorological Department's (Met) weather warning for heavy rain and snowfall, officials said Tuesday.

Kullu District Magistrate Yunus issued an order in this regard, stating that the schools in the district would now reopen on February 18 instead of February 13.

The decision to extend the vacation was taken in the interest of safety of the students as several roads in the upper areas of the district are still blocked after the snowfall on February 7, he said.

The work of clearing the roads is underway even as more snowfall is predicted in the coming days, Yunus further said in the order.

The Met centre in Shimla has predicted rain and snowfall in the high and mid hills and hailstorm in the low hills and plains from February 13 to February 16.

The weatherman has issued a yellow warning of heavy rain and snowfall on Thursday and Friday due to a fresh western disturbance.

A fresh western disturbance and its interaction with tropical easterlies or winds blowing from the east is likely from February 13 to 16, resulting in heavy rains and snow, Shimla Met centre Director Manmohan Singh said.

The Met issues colour-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption and/or danger to life."