Rain, thundershowers cool Himachal hills

Shimla: Light rain and thundershowers across several parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday brought respite from the heat, pulling maximum temperatures below normal at many stations, with Kufri recording the sharpest dip.Light rain was recorded in parts of Lahaul Spiti, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Chamba, Shimla, Hamirpur, Kinnaur etc.Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 25.5°C, 0.5°C lower than the previous day, while Kalpa settled at 20.6°C, 1°C below normal. Kufri witnessed the sharpest drop, with the maximum temperature falling by 2.4°C to 18.3°C.Nahan recorded a maximum of 33.4°C (down 0.7°C), while Jubbarhatti settled at 29.5°C after a 0.5°C dip. Chamba recorded a high of 32.9°C — 6.1°C below normal.However, the lower hills and plains remained relatively warm. Neri in Hamirpur district was the hottest place in the state at 38.6°C, followed by Una (37.4°C), Kangra (36.5°C), Berthin (35.4°C), Sundernagar (34.7°C), Mandi (34.6°C) and Bhuntar (34.2°C).Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the state's lowest minimum temperature at 5.6°C on Thursday.Meanwhile, Met, Shimla, forecast light to moderate rain at many places across Himachal Pradesh on Friday and at a few places on Saturday. Thunderstorms, lightning, hail and gusty winds are also likely at isolated places in Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts, while Chamba and Kangra may witness thunderstorms and gusty winds over the next two days.The department has forecast a further 2-4°C drop in maximum temperatures across many parts of the state over the next 48 hours, followed by a 3-5°C rise during the subsequent three to four days.MSID:: 131508078 413 |