Cold, dry spell grips Himachal

The North News

Shimla, December 1

Himachal Pradesh continues to face a dry but biting cold spell, with temperatures in several towns falling below 10°C. In Shimla, light morning cloud cover cleared by midday, but conditions remained sharply cold across the region. The Meteorological Department has forecast that a western disturbance will become active from December 4, bringing the possibility of light rain and snowfall in parts of the state.

Sandeep Kumar Sharma, a scientist at the Meteorological Centre in Shimla, said the past 24 hours had remained clear, with the chance of light snowfall in the higher reaches of Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti. Weather conditions are expected to stay dry on 2 and 3 December, he added. From December 4, the western disturbance may trigger light snowfall over the higher peaks of Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Kangra and Kinnaur, while mid-hill areas are likely to remain largely clear. Conditions are expected to improve again from 6 December.

The Fog alerts have been issued for Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Mandi districts. Meanwhile, dry cold has intensified challenges for residents in the high-altitude belt, where sub-zero temperatures have begun to freeze water in streams and springs. Several places in Himachal recorded minimum temperatures include Shimla (9.0°C), Sundernagar (5.6°C), Bhuntar (4.9°C), Kalpa (2.5°C), Dharamshala (7.1°C), Una (6.7°C), Palampur (6.0°C), Manali (6.3°C), Mandi (4.6°C), Hamirpur (6.9°C), Kufri (10.4°C), Kukumseri (-3.8°C), Tabo (-5.2°C) and several other hill stations.