Uttarakhand weather: Mercury dips, hills jammed as tourists throng snow spots

DEHRADUN/MUSSOORIE: Parts of Uttarakhand received a fresh round of snow and rainfall since Saturday night, offering respite from the prevailing dry spell and bringing down temperatures across the region. The overcast conditions accompanied by a drizzle on Sunday also led to a surge in tourist influx to Mussoorie and its vicinity as visitors were hopeful of a fresh bout of snowfall.

According to India Meteorological Department's regional meteorological centre in Dehradun, upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalayas, such as Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Harsil received substantial snowfall. The met centre on Saturday predicted heavy snowfall in isolated locations of Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts, particularly at altitudes at and above 3000 meters. Additionally, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and hail were forecast in the remaining districts of Uttarakhand.

Bikram Singh, director of the regional met centre, said, "A significant amount of snowfall has been recorded in the Garhwal hills over the last 24 hours. It was a short spell and is expected to taper off by Monday. However, the state has seen surplus rainfall in the same period." Dry weather is expected to prevail until at least Jan 14, added Singh.

In the foothills, including Dehradun, sporadic rainfall has occurred in the past 24 hours, leading to a notable drop in daytime temperatures. The maximum temperature in the capital city was 16.4 degrees Celsius, approximately five degrees below the normal level. In New Tehri, temperatures plummeted to 5 degrees Celsius, marking an 11-degree departure from the normal levels. Similarly, the hill station of Mukteshwar experienced chilly conditions, with the maximum temperature recorded at 7.9 degrees Celsius, a deviation of five degrees below normal levels.

Meanwhile, Mussoorie witnessed a surge in tourist influx as visitors rushed to the hills to experience snowfall. This resulted in a lengthy line of vehicles stretched along the Tehri bypass road, as hundreds of cars and two-wheelers hurried towards Dhanaulti and Buranskhanda. Traffic congestion was also evident around Landour and Lal Tibba.

Arvind Chaudhary, station officer of Mussoorie, said, "Police force was deployed at various points along the Tehri bypass road to manage the influx of traffic from Dehradun heading towards Dhanolti. One-way traffic restrictions were imposed in the Lal Tibba area."

Meanwhile, the increase in tourist influx brought delight to local businesses. Hoteliers reported about a 20 % increase in hotel occupancy since Friday. "We have witnessed a surge in tourists as many people are visiting the town to witness the snow," said Sanjay Aggarwal, president of the Mussoorie Hotel Association.




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