Page 3 - Snowfall

North India cold wave: Srinagar freezes at -7.3°C, dense fog blankets Delhi

Tabo in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh recorded the coldest temperature in the state, at minus 10.6 degrees Celsius

Snowfall in Himachal Pradesh shuts 226 roads, including 3 highways

A total of 226 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Wednesday. People shivered under piercing cold wave conditions as minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches in Jot, which received 10 cm of snow in the past 24 hours, followed by Khadrala (5 cm), Pooh (2 cm), Sangla (1.2 cm) and Keylong (1 cm). Tabo in the Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in Himachal Pradesh, recording a night temperature of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius. A total of 226 roads, including three national highways including Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, Khab Sangam in Kinnaur district, and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti district were closed for traffic, officials said. According to the state emergency operation center, a maximum of 123 roads were closed in Shimla district, 36 in Lahaul and Spiti and 25 in Kullu. Additionally, 173 transformers were disrupted, affecting power supply across the

Himachal celebrates 'White Christmas', but snowfall triggers road closures

The recent snowfall in Himachal Pradesh has led to the closure of more than 200 roads, including key national highways

Himachal snowfall: 177 roads closed, Shimla hotel occupancy rises to 70%

At least 177 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Tuesday. Snowfall was recorded in the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts. A second consecutive day of snowfall has led to an increase in tourist inflow amid hope on a white Christmas. Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association president MK Seth told PTI that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 per cent. The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added. About 174 roads and three national highways are closed and tourists in about 500 vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma told PTI Videos. According to reports, four people died in accidents during the past 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at so

Cold wave and fog disrupt life in North India, but winter tourism thrives

Despite train delays due to severe weather conditions, the snow-covered mountains have drawn large crowds of tourists eager to celebrate Christmas and New Year

Vehicles stuck, tourists stranded after snowfall in Manali; 700 rescued

According to officials, around 1,000 vehicles were stuck in a long traffic jam, prompting police to launch a rescue operation and shift around 700 tourists to safe places

Heavy snow blankets parts of US during busy holiday travel weekend

The first big snowfall of the season blanketed towns along Lake Erie on Saturday in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, and numbing cold and heavy snow were forecast to persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions. The heavy snow led to a state of emergency declaration in parts of New York and a disaster declaration in Pennsylvania, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home. Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly, the National Weather Service said. Part of I-90 in Pennsylvania was closed, as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania. Nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan, and 29 inches (73 centimeters) was recorded in Pennsylvania's northwestern tip. The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, said

Fresh snow in Kashmir's higher reaches, Met forecasts wet weather in valley

Some places in the higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Saturday, with the Met office forecasting a spell of wet weather in the Valley amid an increase in the minimum temperature, officials said. The tourist resort town of Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and the upper areas of Gulmarg received light snow, the officials said. They said there were reports of light snowfall at some other areas in the higher reaches, including Zojila, and Sadhna Top in Kupwara. Some places in the Valley also received light rain. Owing to the cloud cover, the minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir, including Srinagar -- which had experienced the coldest night of the season on Friday -- settled above freezing point, the officials said. The city recorded a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius, rising from minus 1.2 degrees on Friday. Qazigund recorded a low of 0.8 degrees Celsius while Pahalgam registered 3.2 degrees. Gulmarg, a tourist destination famous for skiing, recor

Thousands left without power as winter storm hits New Mexico, Colorado

Tens of thousands of people in New Mexico were without power Thursday as the first major winter storm of the season rolled across the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado, bringing with it snow and fierce winds that forced schools and government offices to close. Dozens of crews with Public Service Co. of New Mexico were mobilized to address widespread outages that had been reported overnight and in the early morning hours from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond. The utility urged residents to be patient, saying there were about 41,000 people still affected by the outages. We know any time without power is frustrating, the company said in messages to customers. Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and elsewhere across northern New Mexico canceled classes, while authorities warned people to stay off the roads. Plows were busy trying to keep major highways clear, but state police announced midday that Interstate 25 just south of the Colorado border was closed in both ...

Mount Fuji likely gets its trademark snowcap after long delay in 130 years

Japan this year also had an unusually hot summer and warm autumn

Japan's Mount Fuji still without its iconic snowcap for 1st time in 130 yrs

Japan's iconic Mount Fuji, known for its snowcap forming around this time of the year, is still snowless in November for the first time in 130 years, presumably because of the unusually warm temperatures in the past few weeks. The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as of Tuesday breaks the previous record set on October 26, 2016, meteorological officials said. Usually, the 3,776-metre-high mountain has sprinkles of snow falling on its summit starting October 2, about a month after the summertime hiking season there ends. Last year, snow fell on the mountain on October 5, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, or JMA. The snowless Mt. Fuji has captured attention on social media. People posted photos showing the bare mountain, some expressing surprise and others concerned over climate change. The JMA's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which keeps weather data in central Japan and was the agency that announced the first snowfall on Mt. Fuji in 1894, has ci

Japan's Mount Fuji snowless in late October, breaking 130-year record

Typically, Mount Fuji sees its first snowfall by early October, with the last record set for October 26 in 1955 and 2016

Snow cover in Himachal river basins declined by 12.72% in 2023-24

The seasonal snow cover in Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej river basins in Himachal Pradesh decreased by 12.72 per cent in 2023-24 compared to 14.25 per cent in 2022-23, a statement issued here on Friday said. During the early winter months of 2023-24 (October to November), the Chenab, Beas and Sutlej basins showed negative trends in snow cover, whereas the Ravi basin showed a marginal increase, reflecting a positive trend, the statement quoting a study said. However, results for the peak winter months indicated significant declines in all the basins -- 67 per cent in Sutlej, 44 per cent in Ravi, 43 per cent in Beas and 42 per cent in Chenab in January 2024, according to the study conducted by the State Centre on Climate Change, under the aegis of the HP Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (HIMCOSTE). In February, a positive trend was observed in all basins, with an increase in snow cover, continuing into March 2024. Based on the analysis, it was observed that the declin

Water shortages feared as snow in Hindu Kush Himalaya hits record low

The Hindu Kush Himalaya is experiencing significantly lower snow persistence this year, raising serious concern over water security for downstream communities, according to a new report. Leading experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based intergovernmental organisation, have urged water management officials to initiate drought management strategies and preemptive emergency water supply measures. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region heavily depends on the cryosphere -- frozen water on the Earth's surface, including snow, permafrost, and ice from glaciers, lakes and rivers. This frozen water is a critical source of freshwater for around 240 million (24 crore) people living in the HKH region and has far-reaching benefits for around 1.65 billion (165 crore) people downstream. Snowmelt accounts for around 23 per cent of the total water flow of 12 major river basins originating in the HKH. However, its contribution varies from river to

Yellow alert in Himachal after 104 roads blocked in rain, snowfall

Normal life was disrupted in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday as higher reaches received snowfall and rain lash mid and lower hills, blocking 104 roads and three national highways, officials said. The vehicular movement to Keylong was suspended due to a massive landslide at the Selfie Point near Sissu on Manali- Keylong highway, they said. As many as 104 roads, including 99 in Lahaul and Spiti, are closed due to snowfall, according to the state emergency operation centre. Movement on Gramphu-Losar, Darcha-Sarchu and Rohtang Pass were blocked in Lahaul and Spiti, it said. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed men and machinery to clear the blockade and traffic is expected to resume in next two to three hours, a spokesman of BRO said. The local meteorological station has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm at isolated places on April 22 and 23. It has forecast rain in mid hills and rain and snowfall in higher reaches for the next six days from April 21 to April 26 as a

168 roads closed as fresh spell of snow, rains lash parts of Himachal

Higher reaches and tribal areas received fresh spell of snow while low and middle hills were lashed by intermittent hail and rains on Saturday as the local MeT office predicted wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till April 4. A Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus turned turtle near Maling in the Kinnaur district after skidding on Saturday morning in the snow but no casualty was reported, an official said. Traffic came to a halt at the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang near Manali following heavy snow. Kalpa and Kukumseri received 5 cm of snow followed by Keylong with 3 cm of snow in the past 24 hours. A total of 168 roads, including three National Highways, were closed for vehicular traffic in the state on Friday night as per the data of the state emergency operation centre. Most of these roads are in a difficult terrain in Lahaul and Spiti, where 159 roads are still to be opened. Intermittent rains accompanied by lightning and gusty winds were witnessed in the state's capital Shiml

Tourists in Himachal's Spiti shifted to safer places; 650 roads closed

As many as 81 tourists stranded in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley due to closure of roads after heavy snowfall have been shifted to safer places, police said on Monday. Meanwhile, over 650 roads, including five national highways, in the state remained closed for vehicular movement on Monday following several avalanches and landslides caused by incessant rain and snow for the past three days, according to the state emergency operation centre. The 81 tourists stranded in Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti district were on Sunday night shifted to and accommodated in different hotels and homestays there, the police said in a statement. About 290 roads are blocked in this tribal district and several areas are without electricity for the past two days, the statement said. Heavy rain and snow in Lahaul and Spiti has also disrupted the mobile network, it added. On Sunday, an avalanche hit Dara Waterfall near Jasrat village in Lahaul and Spiti, obstructing the flow of Chenab and triggerin

IMD issues snowfall alerts until February 27 across northeastern states

IMD has indicated that light to moderate rainfall, snowfall are likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on February 22 and 23

Several strategic roads in Sikkim blocked due to heavy snowfall: BRO

Several strategically important roads in North and East Sikkim are blocked due to heavy snowfall, the Border Road Organisation (BRO) said in a statement on Thursday. Strategically important roads along Lachung and Lachen axis and the national highway to Nathu La and Tamze have experienced exceptionally heavy snowfall causing disruption of socio-economic activities and posing a challenge to all road users. "Due to disturbance from western Himalayan region, the weather in Sikkim has taken a swift turn because of which Northern and Eastern part of Sikkim is experiencing heavy snowfall," it said.. Further, post devastating flash floods in Sikkim, the lines of communication, leading to North Sikkim, especially to Lachen Valley have suffered extensive damage, the BRO said, adding it had restored connectivity for the armed forces deployed along Lachen Valley via Donkyala pass, located at 18,200 feet. Following an unprecedented heavy snowfall, a team of 758 BRTF under Project Swastik of ..

Parts of HP to receive heavy rain, snow on Feb 18-19; orange warning issued

Parts of Himachal Pradesh are likely to witness heavy rain, snow and thunderstorm accompanied with hail and gusty winds on Sunday and Monday, according to the weather office. On Saturday, the weather remained dry and day temperatures rose marginally with Una recording a high of 27 degrees Celsius. The MeT office issued a yellow warning of heavy to very heavy rain/snow and thunderstorm accompanied with hail, gusty winds and lighting at isolated places on February 18 and 19. It predicted heavy rain/snow and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty wind and lighting at isolated places on February 20 and 21, and heavy rains at most places in lower hills and rains and snow in mid and higher hills as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from Saturday night. The maximum temperature stayed four to 10 degrees above normal in most places, and Kalpa and Keylong in tribal Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts recorded a high of 16 degrees and 4 degrees, 10 and