Himachal braces for more snow: IMD warns of fresh disturbance; over 800 roads blocked

NEW DELHI: The Indian meteorological department has warned that weather conditions in Himachal may worsen from Monday, with a fresh western disturbance likely to bring heavy snowfall.A yellow warning has been issued for the entire state for Monday, with the possibility of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds at isolated places. For Tuesday, the weather office has issued an orange alert for Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti districts, forecasting heavy snowfall and rain. The remaining districts are under a yellow alert, with a cold day and thunderstorms likely.The warning comes as heavy snowfall has already disrupted normal life across the state. As many as 835 roads, including three national highways, remained closed on Sunday. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 282 roads were blocked in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti, including the Leh–Manali highway (NH-3) and the Kaza–Gramphu road (NH-505).In other districts, 234 roads were closed in Shimla, 110 in Mandi, 78 in Chamba, 65 in Kullu, including NH-305, 41 in Sirmour, 18 in Kinnaur, four in Kangra and three in Una.Power supply was also hit, with around 1,942 transformers disrupted across the state, leaving thousands of households without electricity. Shimla district alone reported 789 affected transformers, followed by Sirmour (354), Mandi (284), Chamba (277) and Kullu (174).Light snowfall and rain were reported at isolated places in the higher reaches on Sunday, while most parts of the state remained dry. Cold wave conditions were observed in Manali, Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur. The lowest temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius was recorded at Tabo village in Lahaul and Spiti.