Himachal Pradesh continued to shiver under an intense cold wave on Tuesday, with fresh spells of snowfall in its higher altitudes driving the mercury to new lows for the season. The state's picturesque landscapes turned white, but the weather also led to significant travel disruptions on key mountain highways.
Snowfall Disrupts Traffic, Roads Turn Slippery
The fresh snowfall occurred on Monday and continued into Tuesday morning, affecting several districts including Lahaul Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kangra, and Kinnaur. Popular tourist spots like the north and south portals of the Atal Tunnel, the Rohtang Pass, and the Solang Valley also received a fresh dusting of snow.
This led to immediate consequences for road travel. A traffic jam was reported on the crucial Manali to Atal Tunnel highway. Frequent jams were also seen on the stretch between Solang Valley and Atal Tunnel, as well as near Nehru Kund. Due to the slippery conditions, police authorities restricted movement beyond Solang Valley to only 4X4 vehicles.
Several key routes faced blockades. The Manali-Leh highway remained blocked at Darcha, and the Koksar to Gramphu and Gramphu to Manali routes via Rohtang Pass were also closed due to snow. However, some roads remained open for traffic, including Darcha to Shinku La, Keylong to Atal Tunnel, Tandi to Udaipur, Udaipur to Tindi, and Kaza to Losar.
Mercury Plummets Across the State
The new snowfall intensified the cold wave gripping the state. Tabo in Lahaul Spiti recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature of -10.8°C on Tuesday, marking a drop of 0.6 degrees in just 24 hours. Kukumseri in the same district was the second coldest at -7.1°C, while Kalpa in Kinnaur registered -3.4°C.
The chill was widespread. Narkanda in Shimla saw a low of -2°C, and Reckongpeo in Kinnaur was at -0.5°C. Numerous other locations witnessed temperatures falling below 5°C:
- Solan: 0.2°C
- Seobag: 1°C
- Sundernagar: 1.3°C
- Bhuntar: 2.5°C
- Mandi: 3.1°C
Major tourist destinations were not spared. Kufri in Shimla was the coldest among them at 0.1°C, followed by Palampur (2°C), Dharamshala (2.2°C), Shimla (2.5°C), Manali (3°C), and Kasauli (3.7°C).
Fog and Weather Outlook
Adding to the discomfort, dense fog enveloped many low-lying areas of the state, particularly in parts of Mandi and Bilaspur districts. This severely reduced visibility and worsened the perceived cold conditions for residents and travelers alike.
According to the Meteorological Centre in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh is likely to experience dry weather for the remainder of the week. While this may halt further snowfall temporarily, the existing snow cover and clear skies are expected to keep night temperatures in the lower reaches severely cold.
