IMD predicts rain and snow in isolated areas of Himachal, especially Shimla, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with peak precipitation on Saturday.

 

A total of 226 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall across several districts, news agency PTI reported citing officials on Wednesday.

Affected roads include Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, Khab Sangam in Kinnaur, and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti.

Higher-altitude regions, such as Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Chamba, and Dalhousie, are experiencing sub-zero temperatures, while even the plains of Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Solan, and Kangra are facing severe cold, disrupting daily life and travel.

The Met Office further predicted rain and snow in isolated areas, particularly in Shimla, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with peak precipitation expected on Saturday.

An intense cold wave continued in Mandi, Manali, Chamba, Una, Hamirpur, and Sundernagar, while dense and moderate fog was observed in Sundernagar and Mandi, respectively.

The weather office has issued an ‘orange’ warning for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, and Mandi on Wednesday, and a ‘yellow’ warning for dense fog in parts of the Bhakra Dam reservoir area and the Balh Valley in Mandi on Thursday and Sunday.

Meanwhile in Uttarakhand, stray cows in Badrinath were moved to lower valleys of Chamoli district on Tuesday due to the heavy snowfall. Cold winds have been sweeping across the state since Monday, with fresh snow in high-altitude areas like Chamoli and Uttarkashi, and light showers in lower regions.

Snowfall was also recorded in the Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, and villages above Mana and Malari in Niti Valley.

People in Himachal Pradesh experienced a harsh cold wave as minimum temperatures dropped across the region. Jot 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).