Shimla: A fresh spell of unsettled weather is likely to affect parts of Himachal Pradesh, with the meteorological department forecasting snowfall in higher regions and heavy rain accompanied by hailstorms in several districts over the coming days.
The weather office has issued an orange alert for Shimla, Kullu and Mandi for March 15, warning of thunderstorms with lightning, hail and strong winds at isolated locations.
A yellow alert has also been announced for districts including Kangra, Solan, Sirmaur, Chamba, Una, Bilaspur and Hamirpur. These areas may witness thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds at certain places.
According to the forecast, the hill state may experience intermittent rain, snowfall and hailstorms until March 20. The changing weather conditions are expected to bring a noticeable dip in temperatures across the region. Minimum temperatures may fall by about 2°C to 6°C, while daytime temperatures could drop by 4°C to 7°C.
Despite the forecast of deteriorating weather, conditions remained largely dry across the state during the past 24 hours. However, temperatures were above normal in many areas. Night temperatures ranged between 0°C and 17°C, remaining 2°C to 5°C higher than usual, while daytime readings varied between 9°C and 33°C, which was 4°C to 7°C above the seasonal average.
Among prominent towns, Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 12°C, while Dharamsala registered 13.5°C. Popular tourist destination Manali reported 8.6°C, while Kangra recorded 12.8°C and Mandi 12.7°C.
Other towns also saw relatively mild conditions, including Solan at 10.4°C, Bilaspur at 14°C and Kalpa at 3.5°C.
Meanwhile, Una recorded the highest temperature in the state at 33.6°C, whereas Tabo in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti remained the coldest location, with a minimum temperature of just 0.2°C.
Authorities have advised residents and tourists in the affected districts to stay alert as changing weather conditions could lead to sudden storms, slippery roads and disruptions in mountainous areas.
