E-Paper
Rohtang tunnel closed due to snowfall in higher reaches of Himachal
Atal Tunnel across the Rohtang Pass was closed for traffic after heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday
Atal Tunnel across the Rohtang Pass was closed for traffic after heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
The middle and lower hills of the state received widespread rain accompanied by high velocity winds amid a fresh western disturbance in the region.
Kullu superintendent of police (SP) Gaurav Singh said there was heavy snowfall at the north and south portals of the tunnel. He said the road will be cleared soon and advised people to avoid venturing out the snow-prone areas.
Kalpa, the small hill town in tribal Kinnaur district, experienced 5cm of snowfall, while Keylong, the administrative headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, got 4cm of snowfall.
There are reports of heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Chamba, Mandi and Sirmaur districts.
Shimla-based meteorological department director Manmohan Singh said the inclement weather will prevail in middle and high hills till Wednesday. However, the skies will be clear in the low-lying areas. The weather will clear up on Thursday, he said.
Temperature dips with rain in
Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie
The hill station of Dalhousie in Chamba district received 42mm of rainfall, while Manali got 20mm of rainfall. Shimla experienced 19.7mm of rainfall and the nearby hill stations of Narkanda and Kufri received 15mm and 12mm of rainfall, respectively.
Dharamshala got 10.6mm of rainfall, Nahan 10.1mm, and Bhunter 9.8mm of rainfall.
The mercury dipped slightly in some places. Keylong was the coldest with a minimum temperature of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius followed by Kalpa that recorded 0 degrees Celsius.
The meteorological department director said the mercury fell by 2-3 degrees Celsius with Manali recording a low of 3 degrees and Dalhousie 3.5 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Shimla was 8.4 degrees, Narkanda 3.8 degrees, Kufri 5.5, Dharamshala 9.2 and Palampur 11 degrees Celsius.
