Wet spell to continue in Himachal till Aug 11; heavy rains forecast for Sun

The wet spell in Himachal Pradesh is likely to continue till August 11, the MeT office here said while issuing a yellow alert for heavy rains on Sunday.

Light to heavy rains lashed parts of the hill state on Friday and Saturday, the weather department added.

In the past 24 hours ending at 6.30 pm on Saturday, Poanta Sahib received the maximum rainfall at 108 mm, Dhaulakuan 69 mm, Palampur 55 mm, Dharamshala 29 mm, Shimla 27 mm, and Mandi and Mashobra recorded 18 mm each, the MeT said.

As many as 278 roads, including the National Highway 5 connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, are closed for vehicular traffic, which has been diverted through alternate roads, officials said.

About 201 persons have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents so far since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 6,676 crore, according to the state emergency operation centre.