Snow, rain breaks dry spell in region

Chandigarh, Feb 10 (UNI) Moderate to heavy snowfall lashed higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh while lower areas in the hilly state as well as plains of Punjab and Haryana experienced continous showers, breaking a long dry spell in the region.

However, night temperatures further rose, hovering three degrees to seven degrees celsius above normal at many places in the region.

The rain is considered good for wheat crop.

The Met Office has predicted moderate to rather heavy rain or snow at many places in Himachal Pradesh and moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers at most places in Punjab and Haryana during the next 24 hours.

Hailstorms or thundersqualls with speeds exceeding 45 km per hour are likely to occur at isolated places in the area during the period.

Tribal districts of Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur and Pangi valley and Bharmour area in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh had another spell of heavy snowfall plummeting temperatures in the tribal belt. Vehicular traffic between Chamba-Killar was disrupted following the snowfall.

The tribal areas reeled under intense cold wave conditions with Kalpa in Kinnaur district recording minus 1.5 degrees celsius.

High hills in Kullu and Shimla districts also snowed. Mild snowfall was reported from the tourist place of Narkanda in Shimla district.

The 13050-foot high Rohtang Pass, access to Lahaul Spiti district, and the Dhauladhar mountain ranges, facing the Kangra valley, also had snowfall, renewing cold wave conditions in the twin valleys of Kullu and Kangra.

Widespread rain lashed mid and lower hills of Himachal Pradesh and plains of Punjab and Haryana since last night. Reports of rain fall were also received from, Pandoh, Rampur, Guler, Nagrota Surian, Bhang-Manali and Solang Nullah, Shimla, Amritsar, Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Hissar and Delhi.

However, the minimum temperatures further increased and stayed above normal by seven degrees each at Ambala and Ludhiana, six degrees each at Chandigarh, Patiala, Srinagar and Safderjung (Delhi), five degrees each at Karnal and Hissar, three degrees at Shimla, two degrees each at Jammu and Amritsar.

Chandigarh and its adjoining areas were also lashed by rain, preceded by high velocity winds and hail. The minimum temperature in the city further increased registering 15.4 degrees celsius against 12.0 degrees recorded yesterday.

UNI