Himachal Pradesh in deep freeze, Keylong coldest at -10.3° Celsius

Bus services disrupted on 211 routes of Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation due to inclement weather

Intense cold wave swept across Himachal Pradesh with the minimum and maximum temperatures plummeting several notches below freezing point, even as skies were clear on Wednesday.

A man walks across a snow-bound stretch at Jarai village in Kotkhai town of Himachal Pradesh. The minimum and maximum temperatures in the hill state have seen a dip since the latest round of snowfall on Tuesday.(Deepak Sansta/HT)

Keylong, the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti, continued to be the coldest place in the state at -10.3° Celsius, a significant dip of over 3°compared to the minimum temperature of -6.7°C on Monday. The minimum temperature at Kalpa in Kinnaur was -6° C. The area shivered at -3.1°C the day before. The maximum temperature at Keylong and Kalpa was -1.5°C and 0.1° C, respectively.

Meteorological department director Manmohan Singh said the minimum temperatures were up to 3° below normal, while the maximum temperatures were up to 7° below normal in the state.

Dalhousie recorded a low of -2.9°C and maximum of -0.5°C. The minimum temperature at Manali was -2.6°C, while state capital Shimla and the hill stations of Kufri, Dharamshala and Palampur recorded lows of 1.6°C, -0.2°C, 1.4°C and 1°C, respectively.

Nahan was the warmest place in the state and recorded a high of 17.9°C.

SNOWFALL FROM JANUARY 4

The weather department has forecast snowfall from January 4 when a western disturbance becomes active over the region. A yellow weather warning of thick ground frost and intense cold wave in the lower hills, including Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kangra, on Wednesday and Thursday.

3 HIGHWAYS CLOSED DUE TO SNOW

Three highways and more than 300 other roads in the state remained closed for traffic due to the inclement weather, resulting in disruption of 211 bus routes of Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC).

Ninety-seven buses have been stranded at various places across the state. A maximum of 73 roads are closed in the tribal Lahaul-Spiti district.

Himachal Pradesh public works department has cancelled the leaves of its employees and thousands of workers have been deployed in the field to remove snow from various stretches.