Himachal Pradesh Welcomes Season's First Heavy Snowfall After Prolonged Dry Spell
The mountain state of Himachal Pradesh has finally broken its more than three-month-long dry spell, with heavy snowfall blanketing the mid and high hills while much-needed rainfall drenched the lower regions. This dramatic weather shift has triggered a cold wave across the state, bringing both relief and disruption to residents and tourists alike.
Widespread Snowfall Across Multiple Districts
Moderate to heavy snowfall has been recorded across several districts, including:
- Lahaul Spiti
- Kullu
- Mandi
- Shimla
- Chamba
- Kinnaur
- Kangra
Popular tourist destinations such as Manali, Kasol, Shimla, Kufri, Chail, Kalpa, Narkanda, and Dalhousie have all received their season's first snowfall. Specific areas experiencing significant accumulation include:
- Jalori Jot in Kullu district
- Pangi valley in Chamba
- Shikari Devi and Kamrunag temples in Mandi
- High-altitude areas of Sirmaur district including Churdhar, Haripurdhar, and Nohradhar
In Lahaul Spiti, heavy snowfall has been reported in Sissu, Koksar, Gondhla, and Jispa, with all district roads currently blocked. The high mountain passes, including the famous Rohtang La, have also received substantial snowfall.
Traffic Chaos Grips Manali as Tourists Flock to Experience Snow
The picturesque town of Manali has become the epicenter of traffic chaos as thousands of tourists, primarily from neighboring Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, descended upon the area to witness the snowfall. This massive influx created traffic jams stretching approximately 15 kilometers from 15 Mile up to the main town.
The situation was exacerbated by a slippery highway that caused vehicles to skid at multiple locations including Rangri, Bran, 17 Mile, and 18 Mile. Many frustrated tourists abandoned their vehicles mid-journey and walked through the snow to reach Manali, with some covering distances exceeding 5 kilometers on foot.
"We remained stuck in the traffic jam for more than three hours and then decided to walk our way to Manali. We waited for the snowfall in Manali for quite a long time and couldn't miss the opportunity today," shared Abhishek, a tourist from Delhi who walked approximately 7 kilometers to reach his destination.
Administrative Shortcomings and Infrastructure Disruptions
Despite early weather forecasts predicting the snowfall and potential tourist rush, the Kullu administration failed to implement adequate traffic management measures. With minimal police presence on the Kullu-Manali highway, drivers frequently broke queues, worsening the traffic snarls.
The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that 563 roads and two national highways remain blocked across Himachal Pradesh. The breakdown includes:
- 290 roads in Lahaul Spiti
- 105 in Chamba
- 70 in Una
- 64 in Mandi
- 20 in Sirmaur
- 9 in Kullu
- 4 in Kangra
- 1 in Solan
The blocked national highways are Koksar to Rohtang and Gramphu to Batal. Additionally, heavy snowfall has caused significant power outages, with 4,797 Distribution Transformer Regions rendered non-functional. Solan district has been hardest hit with 1,856 affected transformers, followed by Mandi (901), Kullu (682), Chamba (659), Sirmaur (624), Lahaul Spiti (53), Kinnaur (20), and Una (2).
Rainfall Records and Temperature Plunge
While the high hills received snow, the mid and low hills experienced moderate to heavy rainfall. According to the Meteorological Centre Shimla, the state recorded an average rainfall of 6.7 mm by Friday afternoon, representing a 104% increase over the normal 3.3 mm. District-wise rainfall measurements include:
- Solan: 9.7 mm
- Hamirpur: 9.6 mm
- Lahaul Spiti: 9.2 mm
- Bilaspur: 9 mm
- Kangra: 7.1 mm
- Sirmaur: 6.4 mm
- Chamba: 5.7 mm
- Shimla: 2.6 mm
- Mandi: 2.2 mm
The weather change has triggered a significant temperature drop across the state:
- Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 0.6°C, 10.5° below normal
- Manali shivered at 2.4°C, 8° below normal
- Kalpa's day temperature was 0.3°C, 4.8° below normal
- Kufri recorded -0.9°C, 11.5° below normal within 24 hours
Agricultural Relief and Educational Disruption
The snow and rain have brought much-needed relief to apple growers and farmers whose crops were jeopardized by the prolonged dry spell. "Finally, the weather Gods answered our prayers as it snowed and rained in almost all the apple belts of the state. I guess now the trees will get the requisite chilling hours and we may see a good crop," expressed Kiran Thakur, an apple-grower from Shirar village near Manali.
However, the snowfall has also disrupted education, with several students unable to reach their examination center at Ghanahatti (approximately 15 km from Shimla) for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) due to halted vehicular traffic. The affected students have requested rescheduling of their examination.
Weather Forecast and Future Outlook
The weather department has predicted light rain and snow in the high hills of Himachal Pradesh on January 24 and 25. While the precipitation brings welcome relief from the dry conditions, authorities will need to address the infrastructure challenges and traffic management issues that have emerged alongside this dramatic weather change.
