IMD issues orange alert for heavy rain, snow in parts of Himachal on Mar 3

The Local Meteorological Station here has issued an orange warning for heavy rain and snow, coupled with thunderstorms and lightning, at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh on March 3.

This comes even as the weather remained dry in the state and maximum temperatures rose significantly on Sunday..

The orange alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra and Lahaul and Spiti on March 3 due to the cumulative effects of previous heavy snowfall and rain on February 26, 27 and 28, the MeT station said.

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that restoration works continued in full swing even on Sunday. Currently, 365 roads and three national highways remain closed, and 1,377 power transformers and 269 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

He added that avalanches occurred at some places, but there was no loss of life or property. However, one person, identified as Sant Ram, fell into Jodh Nallah near Saach in the tribal Pangi valley.

He was rescued by local people, who worked hard to bring him to Saach. A government helicopter was sent to Saach, and he was airlifted to Kullu and admitted to the hospital, Negi added.

Light rains occurred at isolated places, with Aghar, Pachhad, Jaton Barrage, Kufri and Chamba recording 17 mm, 15 mm, 3.4 mm, 3.2 mm, and 2 mm of rain, respectively, while the weather remained dry in the rest of the state.

The region enjoyed a clear day with bright sunshine, providing much-needed relief from inclement weather. Una, which was the hottest place in the state, recorded a high of 28.4 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius above normal.

There was no significant change in minimum and maximum temperatures, and Keylong was the coldest place in the state at night with a low of minus 11.8 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest during the day, recording a high of 28.4 degrees Celsius.

The MeT station predicted light to moderate rain or snow at isolated places in the state on March 3, and moderate rain or snow at many places on March 4, with dry weather expected from March 5 to 8.