Shimla, March 21 High-altitude tribal areas in Himachal Pradesh experienced moderate to heavy snowfall for the fifth day on Saturday, while some mid and lower areas were lashed by widespread rains, causing a sharp drop in temperature.
Most parts of the state, however, had a dry day, and bright sunshine provided relief from the inclement weather.
Sangla received 20.5 cm of snow, followed by 18.2 cm in Kalpa, 10 cm in Keylong, 7.5 cm in Hansa, 4 cm in Gondla, and 2.1 cm in Kukumseri since Friday evening.
Severe cold conditions were observed in Kalpa, Una, Kangra, Mandi, Bilaspur, and Chamba, while a cold wave was witnessed in Mandi.
Kandaghat was the wettest, with 54.2 mm of rain, followed by 40 mm in Jatton Barrage, 38 mm in Manali, 37.6 mm in Shimla, 37 mm in Jubberhatti and Gohar, 36.2 mm in Berthin, and 35.2 mm in Solan.
The local meteorological station has issued a 'yellow' warning for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph at isolated places in Kangra, Mandi, and Kullu districts on March 23.
Light rain or snow is also likely at isolated places of the state on March 21, 22, 24, and 27, and light rain and snow at a few places on March 23 and 26, with dry weather for the rest of the days.
A fresh weak western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from March 26, the MeT said.
Minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches, with Kukumseri logging the coldest, with a low of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest during the day, with a high of 24.5 degrees Celsius.
From March 1 to March 121, during the pre-monsoon season, Himachal Pradesh received 82.6 mm of rain, compared to the normal rainfall of 79.9 mm, resulting in an excess of three per cent.