NEW DELHI, Feb 20 : Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday witnessed heavy snowfall that blocked at least 263 roads including four national highways in the higher hills of the state, while several parts of Rajasthan received light to moderate rainfall in the last 24 hours due to the impact of western disturbance.
The national capital witnessed pleasant weather with the city recording a maximum temperature of 28.1 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average even as overnight rain lashed parts of it.
According to the weather department, Rohtang Pass in Himachal has received 135 cm of snow in the past 24 hours — the highest in the region.
The region is still witnessing intermittent snowfall.
Moderate to heavy rain lashed almost the entire state, with Chamba being the wettest with 67 mm of rain, followed by Kufri, which got 57 mm.
Several parts of Hamirpur district were lashed by thunderstorms, accompanied by heavy showers Tuesday morning.
According to the state emergency operation centre, a total of 165 roads were closed in Lahaul and Spiti district and 87 in Chamba. As many as 661 transformers and 33 water supply schemes were disrupted in the state.
Remote Dodra Kwar in Shimla district too was cut off from the rest of the state following snowfall.
A major portion of Chamba-Tissa road sank near Rakhalu Mata temple on Tuesday due to heavy rain, cutting off 40 panchayats from the district headquarters. Shimla was lashed by rain and hailstorm Monday night but was spared of a snowfall, as were adjoining tourist destinations of Kufri and Narkanda.
Vehicular traffic beyond Manali was suspended due to heavy snowfall in Sissu, Solang, Atal Tunnel and Rohtang.
The local MeT station has predicted more snowfall and rain in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, and Chamba and higher hills of Kullu, Chamba, Mandi and Shimla on Wednesday.
In Rajasthan, several parts of the state, including desert region Jaisalmer, received light to moderate rainfall due to the impact of western disturbance.
According to the Meteorological Centre, Jaipur, light to moderate rain was recorded in Jaisalmer, Churu, Sikar, and Jhunjhunu districts and surrounding areas in the last 24 hours.
Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan recorded 39 mm of rain, the maximum, followed by Sikar in eastern Rajasthan, which got 10 mm of it.
A circulation system has formed over Pakistan and the surrounding Punjab region, which has increased the likelihood of light rain with thunder and lightning in parts of Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions and hailstorm at isolated places on Tuesday, a MeT department spokesperson said.
In most of the remaining parts of the state, however, the weather is likely to remain mainly dry for the next three to four days.
The minimum temperature in Churu was recorded at 6.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Other places recorded 12 degrees Celsius or more.
In Delhi, no rainfall was recorded on Tuesday, while the minimum temperature settled at 14.7 degrees Celsius, four notches above the normal in the morning.
The weather office has predicted partly cloudy sky with the possibility of very light rain at night and gusty winds on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, three construction workers and the driver of a heavy vehicle were rescued after they were trapped in a swollen river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said.
The four people had gone for work on the construction of a bridge over Ujh river near Kathua town but were caught due to the sudden rise of water owing to heavy overnight rains, the officials said.
A joint team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police rushed to the spot and successfully rescued the trapped persons after several hours of efforts, they said. (PTI)
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