Shimla, Nov 25 (UNI) A severe cold wave tightened its grip on the tribal and high-altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh, with Tabo in the Spiti Valley recording a bone-chilling minimum temperature of -7.0 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, making it the coldest place in the state.
The intense cold wave conditions have significantly impacted daily life in the high-altitude regions, prompting the district administrations of Lahaul & Spiti and Kullu to officially close key roads for vehicular traffic since November 20 as a precautionary measure against the extreme weather.
The freezing conditions were not confined to Spiti alone. Neighbouring areas in the tribal belt also shivered, with Kukumseri registering a low of -4.3°C, Reckong Peo at 1.7°C, and Keylong recording data as ‘Not Available’. However, it typically experiences sub-zero temperatures this time of year. The popular tourist town of Manali was also cold, recording a minimum temperature of 1.1°C.
The state’s weather department, in its morning bulletin, confirmed the prevalence of dry weather across the region, resulting in a sharp drop in nighttime temperatures, particularly in the interior and higher elevations.
Minimum temperatures across the State were recorded as: Tabo with -7.0 °C, Kukumseri -4.3 °C, Kalpa -0.9 °C, Manali 1.1 °C, Narkanda 1.8 °C, Kufri 4.6 °C, Shimla 6.2 °C, Jubberhatti (Airport) 7.2 °C, Dharamshala 7.2 °C, Solan 3.5 °C, Bhuntar 3.0 °C, Dalhousie: Data Not Available, Chamba: Data Not Available, Hamirpur 5.6 °C, Bilaspur 8.2 °C, Nahan 7.6 °C, and Una with 7.0 °C
While the hills froze, the lower and mid-hills of the state experienced foggy conditions. Bilaspur was enveloped in dense fog, reducing visibility to just 100 meters. Moderate fog (visibility 300m) was reported in Mandi, while Sundernagar witnessed shallow fog (visibility 500m).
The Meteorological Centre, Shimla, has forecast dry weather to continue across Himachal Pradesh for the entire upcoming week, from today (November 25) until December 1. No weather warnings have been issued for this period.
The persistence of dry conditions suggests that the cold wave is likely to continue, with minimum temperatures potentially dropping further in the interior and tribal areas. Residents and travellers are advised to take necessary precautions against the cold.
