Fresh Snowfall Hits Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, Damaging Crops

In a recent turn of events, Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh experienced fresh snowfall in the Sach Pass area. This unexpected snowfall resulted in crop damage in several regions of the district, including Bilaspur. Meanwhile, the majority of the state, including the capital Shimla, enjoyed sunny weather throughout the day on Tuesday.

The regions affected by the snowfall include Manimahesh Dal, Bara Lacha, and areas around Sach Dharra, with snow accumulation ranging from 5.08 centimeters to 10.16 centimeters. Due to landslides in some parts, the Bharmaur-Pathankot highway near Tunnuhatti and near Panchpula remained temporarily closed. The intense winds also caused significant damage to maize and rice crops in rural areas impacted by the snowfall. Approximately 150 farmer families across Sadr, Jhandutta, Ghumarwin constituencies reported crop losses across approximately 350 acres of land.

In another incident, Baralacha Pass, a popular tourist destination along the Manali-Leh highway, witnessed fresh snowfall, turning the valleys white. While the snowfall was relatively light, it did not significantly disrupt travel for tourists and other vehicles on the Manali-Leh highway.

The weather forecast from the Shimla Meteorological Center predicts the possibility of adverse weather conditions in some parts of the state until September 11th. This includes the issuance of yellow alerts for thunderstorms and lightning on September 5th and 6th. On Tuesday, the maximum temperatures were recorded in Una at 36.8 degrees Celsius, Bilaspur at 35.9 degrees, Chamba-Sundernagar at 33.6 degrees, and various other locations across the state.

During this monsoon season, Himachal Pradesh has seen the loss of 408 lives from June 24th to September 5th, with 147 casualties resulting from road accidents. The state has also experienced extensive property damage, including 2556 houses completely destroyed, partial damage to 10,865 buildings, and harm to 317 shops and 5651 cow shelters. The overall estimated loss during this monsoon season exceeds 8675.11 crore rupees. Furthermore, the state has witnessed 164 landslides and 72 flash flood incidents.

Minimum temperatures in various locations across Himachal Pradesh were recorded as follows: Shimla at 16.0 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar at 16.8 degrees, Bhuntar at 17.1 degrees, Kalpa at 10.6 degrees, Dharamshala at 16.2 degrees, Una at 21.0 degrees, Nahan at 23.1 degrees, and several other regions with their respective temperatures.