Widespread rains in Himachal as monsoon spreads to entire state

Himachal Pradesh received widespread rain Friday with the monsoon spreading across the state, the meteorological department said.

The monsoon had arrived on July 2 in some parts of the Himalayan state including districts of Sirmaur, Solan, Kinnaur, Shimla and Lahaul and Spiti.

It advanced to the remaining parts including Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba and Una on Friday, Shimla MeT centre director Manmohan Singh said.

Last year, the monsoon had arrived in the state on June 27 and the total rainfall from June to September was recorded at 927 mm, which was 21 per cent above the normal, he said.

In the last 24 hours, Dharamshala received the highest 58 mm rain, followed by Kasauli (42 mm), Naina Devi (34), Aghar (28),Paonta Sahib and Bharari (27 each), Berthin (25), Bhoranj (24), Pachhad (23), Palampur (21), Solan (19), Rampur (17), Sarahan (15), Khadrala (14), Mehre and Dalhousie (12 each), Hamirpur (10), Nahan (9), Rajgarh (8), Kalpa, Banjar, Sarkaghat, Sangrah, Pooh and Gaggal (7 each), Shimla, Una, Jubbar Hatti, Kheri and Bijahi (6 each), Karsog, Janjehli, Kufri and Chhatrari (5 mm each).

The highest temperature was recorded in Una at 35.4 degrees Celsius while the lowest temperature was in Keylong at 10.2 degrees Celsius, he added.

The MeT office has issued yellow weather warning for heavy rain in plains, low and middle hills of the state from July 6 to 8.