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Rising temperatures in Shimla, Dharamshala and other Himachal Pradesh hill stations disappointed tourists. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, has recorded its highest minimum temperature in the last 20 years.
Himachal Pradesh faces heatwave
According to the Shimla Center of the Meteorological Department, the maximum mercury recorded in Shimla city on Friday (18 February 2023) was 23.2 degrees.
Earlier, in the year 2006, the maximum temperature was recorded at 22.6 degrees on February 19. That is, due to the change in the weather, the mercury is continuously rising and Shimla started heating up.
According to the Meteorological Department, during the last 24 hours, the maximum temperature of Dharamshala was recorded at 28.5 degrees Celsius, which is 9.4 degrees above normal. Earlier, in the year 1971, there was a record of 28 degree Celsius mercury.
The 52-year-old record has been broken in Dharamshala in the month of February and the city had not recorded such a high maximum temperature in February to date.
Solan and Bhuntar, have also recorded their highest high temperatures by recording 29.5 and 29.7 degrees Celsius.
Surender Paul, head of IMD, Himachal Pradesh said that “the highest maximum temperature in Solan (located at 1,550 meters above sea level), according to our records, was 28.5 degrees Celsius on February 26, 2021.
However, the record was broken on February 16 when the minimum temperature was recorded at 29.5 degrees centigrade".
“Both the minimum and maximum temperatures in the state are currently between 4 and 5 degrees above normal. In some areas, temperatures are 8 to 10 degrees above normal,” he said.
Similarly, the temperature in Manali is increasing and is running 5 to 10 degrees more than normal. In February itself, the mountains of Himachal started sweating due to the heat.
No snowfall in Shimla this time
Significantly, Himachal's capital Shimla attracts lakhs of tourists every year in the hope of snowfall. But this time in the winter season, not even once has snow fallen in Shimla city. Due to the change in the weather, a different style of weather is visible in Shimla and environmentalists are worried about it.
According to the locals, such weather conditions are not good as they can have an adverse effect on the tourism industry and drinking water schemes in the region.
"It is hot in February this year. We are wearing a jacket or a sweater and that too in the morning or evening hours. Dharamshala is a famous tourist destination and such weather is not a good sign for us here," he said. Anil Kumar, a local.
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