Shimla, Jan 28 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh faced severe weather on Tuesday night, with heavy snowfall in the hills and rain in lower areas, disrupting normal life across the state following the recent wet and cold spell.
Several major roads remain blocked due to snow and slippery conditions. The Shimla-Rampur highway is closed between Kufri and Fagu, and near Narkanda. The Theog-Rohru highway is blocked at Kharapathar, and the Theog-Chopal highway is closed near Khidki.
According to officials, 93 link roads and 6 main roads are shut in the Shimla district alone.
More than 3,200 electricity transformers have failed across the state. Over 1,500 of them have not been working for the past six days. Hundreds of villages in Chamba, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, and Upper Shimla are without power. In high-altitude areas like Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, and Chamba’s Pangi, water tanks have frozen, cutting off supply to homes.
Significant snowfall was recorded across the region: Rohtang Pass received 2 feet of snow, Manali and Bharmour saw 1.5 feet, Keylong got 1 foot, Narkanda had 8 inches, Kufri received 6 inches, and Shimla’s Jakhu saw 3 inches.
Temperatures fell sharply after the snow. Una was 9 degrees Celsius below normal at 12.8 degrees Celsius. Mandi, Sundernagar, and Solan also recorded much lower temperatures.
Shimla Police advised people to avoid travel on slippery roads, including the blocked Shimla-Chopal route and the slippery Shimla-Rohru road.
No serious accidents have been reported, though a car spun 360 degrees on a snowy road in Manali on Tuesday night; fortunately, no one was hurt. Some schools in tribal areas have been closed for the day.
The weather office says cold conditions will continue for the next two days.
