Cold wave further tightens it grip in Himachal as mercury dips

The cold wave sweeping the hills and valleys of Himachal Pradesh caused further drop in mercury.
The minimum temperature hovered around freezing point at most places even as mercury plummeted to minus 9.1 degrees Celsius and minus 5.6 degrees Celsius at Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts.
Manali shivered at minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Bhuntar minus 0.4, Sundernagar and Dalhousie minus 0.1.
Mercury dropped to 2 degrees Celsius in Una, 0.4 in Solan, 1.1 in Chamba, 1.7 in Shimla, 4.7 in Nahan, 4.5 in Palampur and 5.8 in Dharamsala.
Regions in higher altitudes registered biting cold wave conditions with mercury staying between minus 12 and minus 22 degrees Celsius.

Natural sources in tribal areas have been frozen for the last one month drastically reducing the discharge of water in snowfed Sutlej, Ravi and Beas Rivers and causing sharp fall in hydropower generation.
The maximum day temperature also dropped marginally with Una recording the highest of 20.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Sundernagar 18.7, Nahan 17.6, Solan 17.5, Bhunter 17, Dharamshala 14.8, Shimla 12.5 and Kalpa 6.6 degrees Celsius, four to eight degrees below normal.
The local MeT office has predicted dry weather in the region for the next two days and rains or snow in mid and higher hills from December 30 onwards.