Following two days of substantial snowfall in various regions of Himachal Pradesh, officials reported the closure of 504 roads, including four national highways, disrupting vehicular traffic across the state.
Shimla, the capital, experienced a delightful snowfall on Saturday, bringing joy to residents and tourists. The city and its surroundings witnessed intermittent snowfall under overcast skies.
The weather forecast predicts heavy snow in isolated areas of the state on Sunday. The local Meteorological station issued a 'yellow' alert for thunderstorms and lightning on Saturday and for thunderstorms, lightning, and hail storms with heavy snow at isolated places on Sunday.
The state emergency operation center revealed that road blockages are most severe in Shimla (161 roads), Lahaul and Spiti (153 roads), Kullu (76 roads), and Chamba district (62 roads). Additionally, 674 transformers and 44 water supply schemes have been disrupted.
Intense cold wave conditions persist, with minimum temperatures remaining below normal. While temperatures rose slightly, Kukumseri recorded the coldest night at minus 8.1 degrees Celsius.
Other areas like Narkanda, Kalpa, Dalhousie, and Manali experienced temperatures of minus 5.6, minus 3.7, minus 3.1, and minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Shimla recorded a minimum night temperature of 1.8 degrees Celsius.