Snow, rain throw life out of gear, disrupt power and water supply in Himachal

Fresh snow in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and intense cold on Tuesday threw life out of gear with several roads blocked and power and water supplies disrupted.

The hill stations of Shimla, Manali, Kufri, Narkanda, Dalhousie and Khajjiar received the second spell snowfall this year, while the lower hills were lashed by moderate to heavy rain.

State capital Shimla, which experienced 14 cm of snowfall, saw a foggy day and recorded a low of minus 0.1 degree Celsius. Manali received 8 cm of snowfall, while the uphill Solang ski slopes, Marhi and Rohtang Pass, the gateway to tribal Lahaul-Spiti, also experienced heavy snow.

Kothi near Manali got 45 cm of snow, the highest in the state.

The snow partially cut off access to Kinnaur district and towns of Shimla such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal. The tribal areas of Bharmour and Pangi in Chamba district also received heavy snowfall, resulting in the snapping of road links and power and water supply.

Shimla meteorological centre director Manmohan Singh said that a western disturbance active over the region may bring more snowfall in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts on Wednesday.

The skies will clear on January 9.

Keylong, the administrative centre of Lahaul-Spiti district, experienced 15.3 cm of snowfall and continued to remain the coldest place in the state at minus 7 degrees Celsius.

Kalpa in Kinnaur got 15.2 cm of snowfall and was the second coldest along with the tourist resort of Kufri at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Dalhousie recorded a low of minus 0.9 degree, while Manali recorded a low of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius. Dharamshala recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius.

Bhunter in Kullu saw a maximum of 17.3 mm of rainfall, followed by Jubberhatti near Shimla that experienced 15.6 mm of rainfall.

Palampur, known for its tea gardens, got 13.5 mm of rainfall, Manali 13 mm, Sundernagar and Dharamshala 12.6 mm each, Mandi 12.1 mm, Solan 12 mm, Nahan 11.4 mm and Chamba 10 mm.