The States of Punjab and Haryana will be soaked again while the hilly State of Himachal Pradesh will receive heavy snowfall from Tuesday onwards. A warning of heavy snowfall in the parts of Himachal and rainfall in various parts of Punjab and Haryana in next two days has been issued by the local Meteorological Department.
According to the Met officials in Shimla, a threat of snow avalanche looms over the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh with the prediction of heavy snowfall on January 22. The Center for Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Manali has warned that an avalanche could take place in the hills locate at an altitude above 2,500 metre.
There are chances of heavy to very heavy snow in Himachal on January 22, said a Met official. Areas in Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, lahaul and Spiti and Chamba district are likely to experience more than two feet of snow. The Met official said that most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dalhousie and Manali are likely to have moderate to heavy spells of snowfall.
Meanwhile in the plains, rainfall is expected at few places on January 21 and 22 in Haryana and Punjab. Fog would occur at many places during next 24 hours and decrease thereafter in both the states, predicted the Met Department. The temperature levels continued to plunge across the region on Tuesday. Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana recorded minimum temperature at 10.2 degree Celsius and maximum temperature at 14.5 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.
Punjab continued to remain under the grip of biting cold conditions, with Amritsar recording minimum temperature at 2.2 degree Celsius, ludhiana settled at a low of 8.3 degree Celsius and Patiala 7.4 degree Celsius. In Haryana, Narnaul recorded minimum temperature at 4.6 degrees, Ambala saw 8.5 degree Celsius, Hissar 4.5 degrees, Karnal 6.8 degrees and Bhiwani recorded a low of 8.5 degree Celsius.
Shimla, the capital city of Himachal settled at minimum temperature of 2.7 degree Celsius. Among other places, Kalpa recorded a low of minus 7 degree Celsius, Manali 3 degree Celsius, Solan 1.8 degrees, Sunder Nagar 0.6 degree Celsius, Una 3.2 degrees, Kangra 4.6 degrees, Bhuntar 0.2 degree Celsius and Dharamshala 5.6 degree Celsius.