‘Rare’ April snowfall, rain lash Uttarakhand; Char Dham yatra preparations hit

DEHRADUN: In an “unusual” April weather turn, the higher reaches of Uttarakhand, including the Char Dham districts, witnessed fresh snowfall on Wednesday, while incessant rain lashed Dehradun and other parts of the state from Tuesday night under the influence of a strong western disturbance. Officials said such April snowfall, though not unprecedented, is “relatively rare” and can temporarily affect travel in higher altitudes. It may, however, improve snow cover in the upper Himalayan regions ahead of the Char Dham yatra, scheduled to begin on April 19.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), widespread rainfall was recorded across the state between the night of April 7 and the morning of April 8. Tehri received the highest rainfall at 59 mm, followed by Chakrata (36 mm), Mussoorie (32 mm), Kotdwar (32 mm) and Dehradun (19 mm). “Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, snowfall, hail and gusty winds were observed at isolated places over Uttarakhand,” the regional meteorological centre said in its daily weather report issued on Wednesday.Regional meteorological centre director CS Tomar said temperatures had dropped by 4-6°C over the past week, creating favourable conditions for snowfall in higher Himalayan regions. “This spell is due to a strong western disturbance and its impact is likely to persist till Thursday morning,” he said, adding that temperatures are expected to rise gradually thereafter.Snowfall was reported in areas above 3,500 metres in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts, bringing back wintry conditions in the middle of spring. Snow accumulation of up to three-four feet was recorded at the Kedarnath shrine, while Yamunotri in Uttarkashi and Auli in Chamoli also received heavy snowfall, posing logistical challenges for authorities.Officials said work on essential arrangements such as electricity, water supply, medical facilities, security and repair of roads and routes to the four shrines was underway, but the sudden weather shift had slowed progress. Rudraprayag district magistrate Vishal Mishra said, “The foremost priority is to clear the snow at the shrine and on the trek route. Only thereafter can other important works be carried out.”The DM added that repairing damaged medical relief points remains a key challenge, while supplies, shop setups and mule movement have also been affected. “Our teams are active and we are confident of completing all work before the pilgrimage begins,” he said.Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief Hemant Dwivedi said the yatra will proceed as scheduled despite the challenges posed by the weather. “Advance teams of SDRF, police and administration have already reached the area and preparations are ongoing. However, the snowfall and rain have made the task more challenging,” he said.Meanwhile, the combined effect of rain in the plains and snowfall in the hills led to a sharp dip in temperatures across the state on Wed, with residents pulling out woollens again. In Mukteshwar, the maximum temperature was recorded at 6°C -- around 15 degrees below normal -- while the minimum dropped to 4.5°C. Tehri Garhwal recorded night temperatures of around 5°C, and in Dehradun, the daytime temperature settled at 23°C, nearly eight degrees below normal.