According to PTI, as many as 226 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh due to snowfall in several districts on Wednesday.
The affected routes include Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu, Khab Sangam in Kinnaur, and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti. Sub-zero temperatures were reported in the high altitude regions of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Chamba, and Dalhousie and severe cold in the plains of Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Solan, and Kangra which have forced people to confine indoor and travel activities.
The Met Office has forecast rain and snow in isolated areas, mainly in Shimla from Friday evening till Sunday afternoon, with the peak falls expected on Saturday. Severe cold wave is also prevailing in Mandi, Manali, Chamba, Una, Hamirpur, and Sundernagar, while dense fog has been reported in Sundernagar and moderate fog in Mandi. The weather office has issued an ‘orange’ warning for Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, and Mandi due to severe cold on Wednesday and a ‘yellow’ warning for dense fog in parts of Mandi and the Bhakra Dam reservoir area on Thursday and Sunday.
Heavy snowfall in the region has been reported, forcing stray cows in Badrinath to move to lower valleys. The state has witnessed cold winds since Monday. Fresh snow was reported in high altitude areas like Chamoli and Uttarkashi, light showers in the lower areas. The Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, and villages above Mana and Malari in Niti Valley received snow.
In Himachal Pradesh, the cold wave is severe, and minimum temperatures have been dropping in the entire region. Jot recorded 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). The lowest temperature in the state was recorded at Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti, which stood at minus 10.6°C at night. The state emergency operation centre said that 123 roads were closed in Shimla district, 36 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 25 in Kullu, while 173 transformers were disrupted and power supply was affected.
Locals and tourists in Shimla were disappointed on Wednesday morning as the city saw bright sunshine hoping for a white Christmas. Rainfall was reported at different places, where Bhuntar received 9.7 mm, Rampur 9.4 mm, Shimla 8.4 mm, Bajaura 8 mm, Seobagh 7.2 mm, Manali 7 mm, Gohar 6 mm, Mandi 5.4 mm, and Jubbarhatti 3.8 mm.
Meanwhile, minimum temperatures have plummeted across Jammu and Kashmir as the region continues to face severe cold, with several water bodies and supply lines freezing. On Tuesday night, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 7.3°C, a further drop from the previous night’s minus 6.6°C. The forecast indicates a further decrease of 2-3°C in minimum temperatures over the next two days.
Currently, the region is in the midst of ‘Chillai-Kalan,’ the harshest 40-day winter period that started on December 21. This period is characterized by frequent and heavy snowfall, and it comes to an end on January 30, though the cold wave continues beyond that date. It is then followed by ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) for 20 days and ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) for 10 days.
