Several roads closed in Himachal as higher reaches receive snowfall

Shimla: Several roads in Himachal Pradesh were closed to vehicular traffic as light to moderate snow continued in isolated places in the higher reaches of the state, while intermittent rains lashed several parts of the middle and low hills, the weather office said on Thursday.

National Highway 5 (Hindustan Tibet Road) was closed near Narkanda in Shimla district due to slippery conditions following a heavy spell of snow.

Traffic has been diverted from Sainj to Shimla via Luhri/Sunni, officials added. A total of 12 roads are closed in Shimla district.

A flash flood threat caused panic in Tosh village in the Manikaran Valley in Kullu district due to the formation of an artificial lake in Jeera Nallah.

People living downstream of the Nallah have been evacuated and shifted to safer places, officials said.

The avalanche threat looms large following fresh snowfalls in Himachal Pradesh, and the weather department has issued an orange warning for Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Kinnaur and areas above 2,300 meters altitude.

This warning will remain valid until 5:00 pm on February 28.An increased risk of avalanches in higher altitude regions has been warned by the Met department.

The general public is advised to avoid unnecessary travel and refrain from visiting high-altitude areas prone to avalanches, Lahaul and Spiti police said on Thursday.Due to heavy snowfall, the Darcha-Shinkula, Darcha-Sarchu, Koksar-Manali via Rohtang, Koksar to Losar via Kunzum and Atal Tunnel to Manali, Tindi and Udaipur have been blocked.

Travellers have been advised to avoid these routes.The local MeT department has issued an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rain and snow at isolated places in Mandi, Kangra, Kullu and Chamba districts for Thursday and Friday.

It has also forecasted (yellow alert) heavy snow in Lahaul and Spiti and heavy rain and snow in Shimla district for the same period.

The weather office has also predicted heavy rain in Una, Bilaspur, Shimla, Sirmaur and Hamirpur districts.Meanwhile, Keylong has received 22 cm of snow, Khadrala 12 cm, Kukumseri 9.6 cm, Hansa 8 cm, and Kalpa 3.4 cm since Wednesday evening.

Manali received 40 mm of rain, Seobagh 29.7 mm, Bharmour 29.5 mm, Sarahan 29.1 mm, Bhuntar 25.8 mm, Mandi, Jot, and Dharamshala 16 mm each, Shimla and Gohar 15 mm each, Bilaspur 13.2 mm, Karsog 12.1 mm, and Solan 10.2 mm.

Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest at night, recording a low of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius, while Nahan was the hottest during the day with a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius.

The state received 70.4 mm of rain during the winter season from January 1 to February 27, against the normal rainfall of 181.7 mm, a deficit of 61 per cent.