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Shimla witnessed its first snowfall of the season on Thursday, bringing joy to locals, tourists, and farmers. Moderate to heavy snowfall was reported in the high hills and tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla, including Kufri and Fagu, got a light snow cover, drawing people to Mall Road and Ridge in the city center. Hailstorms hit Shimla on Wednesday night, followed by rain, setting the stage for the snow. The weather led to the closure of 240 roads, including six national highways, and disruptions to 677 transformers. Over 165 blocked roads are in tribal districts.
Heavy snow in Kufri, Fagu, and Narkanda halted traffic in upper Shimla. The Meteorological Office issued warnings for more snow and rain in several districts until February 1, with a yellow alert for thunderstorms on February 3 and 4.
List of roads blocked in Himachal
| Sr. | Road No | From-To | Present Condition | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 555 | 1 | Mandi to Kullu via Kamand-Kataula-Bajaura | BLOCK | Road blocked for all types of vehicles due to snowfall |
| 555 | 2 | Pandoh to Kullu via Pandoh Dam bypass link road | Through | Main NH not yet restored; makeshift link road of 4.5 km in use. Waiting time for heavy vehicles: 20-50 minutes; LMVS: Nil. Expected to remain until end of Feb 2024. |
| 21 | 3 | NH 21 Mandi to Pandoh | Through | Two-way traffic |
| 21 | 4 | Gohar to Pandoh | Through | Only for LMVS |
| 50 | 5 | Mandi to Karsog | BLOCK | Road blocked at Chowki, Pandar, due to snowfall |
| - | 6 | Mandi to Janjehli | BLOCK | Road blocked at multiple locations due to snowfall |
| Sr. No. | Name of Station | Weather | Snow Depth | Road Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keylong | CLEAR | 1 FT | CLOSED |
| 2 | Kaza | CLEAR | 3 INCH | THROUGH |
| 3 | Sumdo | CLEAR | - | THROUGH |
| 4 | Udaipur | CLEAR | 9 INCH | CLOSED |
| 5 | Tindi | CLEAR | 1 FT | CLOSED |
| 6 | Koksar | CLEAR | 1.5 FT | CLOSED |
| 7 | Sissu | CLEAR | 1.5 FT | CLOSED |
| 8 | North Portal | CLEAR | 1.5 FT | CLOSED |
| 9 | South Portal | CLEAR | 4.5 FT | CLOSED |
Heavy snowfall disrupts services
Due to heavy snowfall and rain, over 240 roads, including six main highways, are closed. This has also caused problems with 677 transformers. The worst affected are the tribal districts of Kinnaur Lahaul and Spiti, where 165 roads are blocked.
In the upper Shimla area, traffic has stopped because of heavy snow in Kufri, Fagu, and Narkanda. The roads are too slippery for vehicles to move at Dhalli. But the authorities are working to clear the roads soon.
Snowfall has been on and off in five out of 12 districts since Tuesday night. The weather office has warned of more heavy snow and rain in some places in five districts. They’ve also warned of thunderstorms and lightning on February 3 and 4.
Different places have received different amounts of snow. Chidgaon got the most with 75 cm. It’s also been raining in many parts of the state. Rohru got the most rain with 40 mm.
It’s been very cold in the lower hills with fog in some places in the morning. Kukumseri was the coldest at night with a temperature of minus 3.1 degrees Celsius.
The weather office says there will be three or four more periods of heavy rain or snowfall in Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi.
The state had very little rain in January 2022 and December 2023. But the weather office says there will be a wet spell in the state till February 5.
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