E-Paper
Tabo coldest in Himachal at -5.5°C; snow, rain bring down mercury
The meteorological department said that “an appreciable fall” has been observed in minimum temperatures at many stations during the past 24 hours, while at isolated stations the mercury fell three degrees below normal
With the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh continuing to experience cold nights, Tabo in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti recorded the lowest minimum temperature of minus 5.5°C in the state on Thursday.
It was followed by a minimum temperature of minus 3.2°C recorded in Keylong and minus 2.2°C in Kukumseri. After trace snowfall, Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of 0.2°C.
According to the IMD, very light rain or snowfall was observed at isolated places over the state during the last 24 hours. The meteorological department said that “an appreciable fall” has been observed in minimum temperatures at many stations during the past 24 hours, while at isolated stations the mercury fell three degrees below normal. There was no significant change in the maximum temperatures.
In terms of rainfall, the highest rainfall of 0.6 mm was recorded in Bhaba Nagar (Wangtoo), followed by Sangla (0.2 mm) and Sundernagar (0.1 mm). While dense fog was observed in Sundernagar, shallow fog was observed in Bilaspur.
Mercury to rise in coming days
After snowfall in the higher reaches on Wednesday, dry weather is expected to prevail in Himachal Pradesh till November 12. MeT department officials said that the minimum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 2-3 degrees over the state during the next 3-4 days, while the maximum temperatures are also expected to rise gradually by 2-4 degrees during the next 4-5 days.
On Wednesday, several parts of Himachal Pradesh received rainfall, while the higher reaches got snowfall, leading to a dip in the minimum temperatures in higher reaches. The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Kinnaur, Kullu and mountain passes received fresh snowfall. The weather office said that trace snowfall was observed in Keylong and Kukumseri.
This year, Himachal’s higher reaches received the first snowfall of the season on October 5. The early snowfall has raised hopes for tourism boost among stakeholders in the state.
