Fresh snow in hills of Himachal, J&K
Mudslides at Dalwas, Mahar, Gangroo in J&K due to heavy rain
Shimla, Jammu April 27: Intermittent rain accompanied by thunderstorms and hail lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh while the tribal areas received fresh snowfall on Saturday, causing a sharp dip in the mercury. Sixty roads and three national highways — Atal Tunnel-Rohtang Pass, Grmphu-Losar and Darcha- Sarchu — were closed while supply from 103 transformers was disrupted, officials said.
Heavy rain, accompanied by hail and a thunderstorm, lashed Shimla and its surrounding areas.
A severe hailstorm also hit Gohar and its surrounding areas in Mandi district, causing extensive damage to stone fruits, tomato, peas, tomato and wheat crops.
The local Met office has issued an orange warning for heavy rain and thunderstorm, accompanied by hail and gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kilometres per hour at isolated places on Monday and a yellow alert for thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and gusty winds at isolated places on Sunday and Tuesday.
It has also predicted rain or snow at many places in the higher hills and rain at several places in the lower and mid hills on Sunday and Monday and rain and snow at a few places in the higher hills on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Intermittent snowfall is continuing in the highaltitude tribal areas and the higher hills of Kullu, it said.
Meanwhile, the Mughal Road was closed for vehicular traffic on Saturday following fresh snowfall in the higher reaches, including Peer Ki Gali, along the alternative route connecting Jammu’s Poonch and Rajouri districts to south Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said. More than six inches of fresh snow has been recorded at the 11,433-feet high Peer Ki Gali, also known as the Pir Panjal pass, on the Mughal Road, prompting authorities to suspend vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure, they said.
A traffic department official said the 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway — the only all weather-road connecting Kashmir with rest of the country — was lashed by moderate to heavy rain, resulting in mudslides at several places, including Dalwas, Mahar, Gangroo and Hingani in Ramban district.