Latest News | Rainfall, Snow Likely at Isolated Places in Himachal's Mid and Higher Hills During Weekend

Shimla, Dec 29 (PTI) The Met office has predicted rainfall or snow in isolated parts of the mid and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday and Sunday under the impact of a fresh western disturbance lying over the region.

Moderate to dense fog might occur in the lower hills during the mornings, leading to reduced visibility, it said on Friday.

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The Met office on Friday predicted rainfall and snow at isolated places in the mid and lower hills and moderate to dense fog during the mornings in the nex 48 hours in Mandi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una, Kangra, Paonta Sahib and Dhaula Kuan (Sirmaur), Baddi and Nalagarh (Solan).

The state witnessed a clear day but the sky became partially overcast in Shimla and its surrounding areas during the evening. Some places in the lower hills witnessed moderate to dense fog, reducing visibility and disrupting vehicular traffic in the morning.

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The key hill stations are bracing to welcome tourists for New Year festivities and hoteliers are upbeat that the forecast of rain and snow will further boost footfall.

There was no significant change in the minimum and maximum temperatures. Una recorded the highest day temperature at 24 degrees Celsius while Kusumseri reported the lowest night temperature at minus 9.4 degrees.

In the lower hills, the mercury hovered around the freezing point with Bhuntar recording a minimum temperature of zero degrees Celsius followed by Mandi at 1.1 degrees, Sundernagar at 1.2 degrees and Una and Narkanda at 2 degrees each.

The high-altitude tribal areas and the higher hills reeled from the piercing cold with the mercury hovering 10-15 degrees Celsius below freezing point.

Natural water sources such as lakes, springs, rivulets and tributaries -- including a large stretch of the Chandrabhaga -- have become frozen in tribal areas.

The continued dry spell has also led to an increase in the post-monsoon rainfall deficit to 43 per cent from October 1 to December 29.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)