Four national highways among 350 roads shut as snow, rain lash Himachal

Snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh crippled daily life in the tribal Lahaul & Spiti and the Kinnaur districts while 350 roads, including four national highways in the state, were closed for traffic.

The state's mid and low hills were lashed by intermittent rain while the Met office in Shimla has issued a red warning for thunderstorms with lightning, hailstorm and heavy rain at isolated places along with gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kilometres per hour on Saturday.

Snowfall in the higher reaches of the Chamba, Kinnaur and the Lahaul & Spiti districts led to the closure of roads and transformers becoming non-functional.

A maximum 290 roads are closed in Lahaul & Spiti, 32 in Kinnaur, 10 in Mandi, eight in Chamba, seven in Kullu, two in Shimla and one in Kangra. At least 1,314 transformers are out of order in Himachal Pradesh, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre.

The remote Dodra Kwar subdivision of Shimla district has been cut off from the rest of the state with the Shimla-Kinnaur Road being blocked near Negulsari due to shooting stones. The heavy snowfall has also led to the closure of the Rohtang Pass.

Gondla in Lahaul & Spiti received 61.2 cm of snow -- the highest in the state. Kukumseri recorded 58 cm snowfall, followed by Keylong at 53 cm, Kalpa at 51.7 cm, Pooh and Pangi at 30 cm each, Khadrala at 16 cm, Sangla at 11.2 cm, Moorang at 9.3 cm, Atal Tunnel at 6 cm. Manali received trace snowfall.

However, with 84 mm rainfall, Manali was wettest in the state, followed by Banjar at 80.2 mm, Seobagh at 77.4 mm, Reckong Peo at 48 mm, Bharmour at 47 mm, Sarahan at 47 mm, Rampur and Chamba at 45 mm each, Dalhousie at 44 mm, Chopal at 42 mm and Rohru at 40 mm.

Snow and rain across the state will continue till Sunday. The weather will remain dry in the plains, low and the middle hills during March 4-5 while snow and rainfall will continue in the higher reaches, said Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Director Surender Paul.

Kalpa in the tribal Kinnaur district was the coldest place in the state, recording a night temperature of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius.