Shimla, March 15 Shimla and its surrounding areas experienced a thunderstorm on Sunday, accompanied by rain, while the higher regions in Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts received another round of fresh snowfall, the Met office said.
More than 1,000 vehicles were stranded at the south portal of the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, in the late evening after snowfall in the higher reaches of Manali disrupted traffic, officials said.
A police team from Manali reached the spot and began the rescue operation, guiding the stranded vehicles towards Manali until the report was filed.
The police also requested the Border Road Organisation and other rescue agencies to deploy their teams so that the vehicles could be prevented from sliding by spraying mud and urea on the road, they said.
The police also appealed to the stranded people to remain patient, as the rescue operation is in progress and they are safe.
According to the Meteorological Department, Bhuntar recorded 12 mm of rain, followed by Mandi and Manali with 8 mm each, Kufri (7 mm), Solan (6.4 mm), Shimla (6 mm), Sundernagar (5 mm), Dharamshala (3 mm), and Kangra (2 mm).
Kalpa and Neri received 1.8 mm each, while Jubberhatti recorded 1 mm.
Dark, convective clouds covered the sky, significantly reducing visibility in some areas, with the upper hills of Manali, including the Atal Tunnel, seeing light snowfall.
Videos of tourists enjoying the snow near the tunnel have been circulating widely on the internet.
Earlier in the day, videos of tourists enjoying the snow near the tunnel were circulating widely on the internet. The snowfall has brought joy to tourism stakeholders, as the combination of snowfall in the hills and a heat wave in the plains during the holidays is expected to boost tourist footfall in the region.
However, a perceived disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been a concern.
The Shimla Meteorological Office predicts light rain and snow in the state until March 21, and issued an orange alert for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds with wind speeds between 40-50 km per hour for Kullu and Shimla, as well as hail warnings for Solan and Sirmaur districts on March 19.
Additionally, a yellow alert has been issued for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in ten out of twelve districts, except Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, for March 16, 18 and 19.
In the past 24 hours, a heat wave was experienced in Nahan, which recorded a maximum temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon and was the hottest during the day on Sunday with 28.7 degrees Celsius.
In contrast, Tabo was the coldest location at night, with temperatures dropping to 1.4 degrees Celsius.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of March 17.