Himachal: Woollens in May as rain brings down mercury in hill state
Shimla records coldest night in 14 years at 9.9°C, Nahan, otherwise among hottest towns of the state, records maximum drop of 6.5°C
Temperatures dropped to a record low in parts of Himachal Pradesh, including the state capital Shimla, on Tuesday as the state received heavy rain amid an orange alert, while the higher reaches got light snowfall.
The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast the wet spell till June 4. “An orange alert has been issued for thunderstorm, lightning, hailstorm and gusty winds of 40kmph,” said Surender Paul, the director of IMD’s Shimla centre.
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The night temperature in Shimla dropped by more than five degrees and it recorded 9.9°C, the lowest in 14 years in the month of May. The last time the night temperature fell below this level in the state capital was when it recorded 10.5°C in May 2009.
The cold weather forced people, particularly schoolchildren, office-goers and tourists, to don woollens.
The minimum temperature across the state fell by 3°C to 7°C. The maximum drop of 6.5°C was recorded in Nahan, which is normally one of the hottest towns in Himachal Pradesh in the summer months of May and June.
Keylong was the coldest at 5°C, Narkanda 6.4°C and Kukumseri 6.6°C, while Kalpa saw a low of 7°C, Kufri 7.7°C, Dalhousie 10.5°C, Palampur 13.5°C and Dharamshala 24.4°C.
According to the weather office data, the state recorded 325% excess rains over the past week. It got an average of 54.9mm of rainfall against a normal of 12.9mm in seven days up to May 30. The rain surplus was 79% this month with the state getting 109.8mm rainfall against a normal of 61.2mm.
Jubbarhatti recorded maximum rainfall of 42.4mm, Mandi 36.4mm, Nahan 39.8mm and Solan 34.2mm since Monday night. Dharamshala got 33mm of rainfall, Shimla 32.2mm, Chamba 27.5mm, Mashobra and Narkanda 26mm, Dhaulakuan 25mm and Bharmour 20mm.
