Thunderstorms and hail, accompanied by rain, lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh while a fresh round of snow disrupted daily life in the tribal areas.
A severe hailstorm lashed the state capital and surrounding tourist destinations of Kufri and Chharabra, disrupting vehicular traffic. Dark clouds reduced visibility to a few metres, forcing vehicles to move at a snail’s pace with their headlines on. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 63 roads — 42 in Lahaul and Spiti, 11 in Kullu, four in Kinnaur, three in Chamba, two in Kangra and one in Shimla — were blocked and the functioning of 142 transformers disrupted.
Hansa and Kusumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded 20 cm and 12 cm of snow, respectively, followed by Gondla at 10 cm and Keylong at 7 cm.
Widespread moderate to heavy rain also lashed the state. Kothi recorded 72 mm rainfall, the highest in the state, followed by Kalpa 61 at mm, Jogindernagar and Reckongpeo at 57 mm each and Mashobra at 56 mm.
With rain and snow lashing the state over the past three days, the pre-monsoon rainfall deficit from March 1 to April 20 has come down to 14 per cent. The region has received 135.6 mm of rain during this period against a normal of 158.4 mm.