Shimla, April 5 The higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh experienced snowfall as the Shimla Meteorological Office issued an orange alert for hailstorms, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds in four to five districts on April 7 and 8.
In the past 24 hours, since Saturday evening, Gondla in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district received 28.2 cm of snow, followed by Keylong with 20 cm, Hansa with 5 cm, and Kukumseri with 1.3 cm.
Light to moderate rains lashed parts of the state intermittently. Sarahan received 23.5 mm of rain, followed by Dharamshala and Sundernagar 18.2 mm each, Manali 18 mm, Mandi 16.2 mm, Shimla 13.4 mm, Kukumseri 13.2 mm, Kalpa 11 mm, Jubbarhatti 10.9 mm, Palampur 10.6 mm and Kasauli 10 mm.
A heavy hailstorm followed by rain lashed Shimla on Saturday night, and the city was covered with a thin layer of sleet within minutes. Hail also occurred in the Sundernagar area.
Thunderstorms and lightning occurred in Shimla, Sundernagar, Jubberhatti, Bhuntar, Kangra, Murari Devi and Jot, while light fog was observed in Sundernagar. Strong winds with speeds between 35 and 48 kmph were observed in Tabo, Neri and Seobagh, the MeT said.
The MeT office issued an orange alert for hailstorms, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds with speeds of 40 to 60 kmph in the Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, and Shimla districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India starting Wednesday. The weather department also predicted a wet spell in the state till April 11.
Tabo was the coldest at night, with a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures registered a significant rise, and Una was the hottest during the day, recording a high of 34 degrees Celsius.
During the pre-monsoon season from March 1 to April 5, Himachal Pradesh received 115.4 mm of rain, compared to the normal rainfall of 123.5 mm, resulting in a seven per cent deficit.