At a time when Himachal is struggling to tackle the second wave of Covid-19, a fresh spell of snowfall and rainfall has led to landslides, road blockages and caused damage to crops and property in the state.
A five-story building collapsed in Shimla’s Sanjauli area on Friday after heavy rainfall. No human loss was reported as the building was vacant at the time of the incident.
In Manali, rain and snowfall have paralysed normal life, blocking several roads and highways, particularly the Manali-Leh road.
Dr Manmohan Singh, Director, Shimla Met Centre) said that Shimla had received 42 percent more rain than the normal rainfall received every year.
“Till Thursday we recorded 86 mm of rain, which broke the single-day record (in April) after 42 years.”
Earlier, the capital town had received a maximum rainfall of 111 mm on April 15, in 1979. Till Friday morning (8:30 am), 31.7 mm rainfall was received in Shimla and the temperature in Shimla dropped to five degree Celsius, he said.
According to the forecast, thunderstorms are likely to continue at many places in the state till Saturday.
High altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate snow since Wednesday. Lower areas in the state like Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns have received moderate to heavy rains.
Besides, several high reaches witnessed snowfall, especially the Lahaul valley where the Manali-Leh highway has once again been blocked due to snow.
In the low and middle hills, farmers suffered severe crop damage due to rainfall.
After recording 47 mm rainfall, popular tourist destination Manali saw a low of two degrees. The minimum temperature in Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was recorded at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, the coldest in the state. It recorded 20 cm snowfall.
Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a minimum of minus 0.5 degree after receiving 15 cm snow.