Shimla: Several large Deodar trees fell onto a road near Oak Over, the official residence of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, on Friday morning. The incident disrupted movement in the area, although no casualties were reported.
The fallen trees blocked the road, forcing pedestrians and schoolchildren to carefully make their way past the debris. The incident comes amid unsettled weather conditions across Himachal Pradesh, with rainfall continuing at isolated locations.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of dense fog in Shimla, with visibility likely to fall to around 50 metres. The department has advised motorists to drive cautiously and remain alert, particularly on roads affected by poor visibility.
Light rain is also expected at isolated places in Solan, Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu and Chamba until noon.
Yellow alert in Bilaspur, Kangra
The IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for heavy rainfall at isolated places in Bilaspur and Kangra districts on Friday. However, the overall monsoon activity across the state remained relatively weak during the past week.
Nine districts have recorded rainfall below their respective normal levels over the last seven days, while three districts received substantially higher precipitation.
Sirmaur recorded the highest surplus, with rainfall 121 per cent above normal, while Lahaul-Spiti witnessed a severe deficit of 94 per cent.
Overall, Himachal Pradesh received 19 per cent less rainfall than normal during the past seven days.
Rainfall activity likely to increase from August 10
Weather conditions are expected to change from August 10, when the monsoon is likely to become more active across Himachal Pradesh.
The IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for heavy rain in Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur on August 10. Rainfall activity is expected to continue in parts of the state until August 12.
Authorities have advised residents and tourists to remain cautious during periods of heavy rain, particularly in areas vulnerable to falling trees, landslides and poor visibility.
Temperatures dip after rainfall
Rainfall over the past 24 hours has also brought down daytime temperatures across the state. The average maximum temperature remained 1.5 degrees Celsius below normal.
Kalpa recorded a maximum temperature of 17.5°C, which was 5.1 degrees below normal. Nahan registered 23.9°C, down by 4.1 degrees, while Una recorded 29.4°C after a decline of 3.4 degrees.
Bilaspur’s maximum temperature fell to 29°C, a drop of 2.8 degrees, while Solan recorded 26°C, 2.4 degrees below its previous level.
