The incessant rain and snowfall in upper reaches brought down the temperatures considerably in the hill State of Uttarakhand. The rains ensured that the minimum and maximum temperatures in the State capital Dehradun are at close proximity on Sunday. The weathermen recorded a minimum temperature of 14.1°C while the maximum temperature was 14.8°C. The people who had shed the warm clothes as winter was at its fag end were forced to wear woolens as the temperature took a plunge.
The rains forced the people to remain indoors due to which the markets wore a deserted look. The candidates for Uttarakhand State Eligibility Test (USET) had to face problems to reach to the examination centres due to heavy downpour. Renu Rawat who had come to the state capital from Kotdwar said that she was drenched when she reached DAV College, the venue of the examination.
The rains also played spoilsport for the famous Spring festival organised at the Raj Bhawan. The second and last day of the festival was attended by very few people due to the rains. The return of cold has brought frowns on foreheads of health department officials struggling on swine flu front. The virus of the disease thrives in cooler weather conditions and the department is expecting an increase in number of patients affected by the disease in next few days.