Respite from scorching heat

People living in the lower hills had some respite from the scorching heat as a severe thunderstorm accompanied by a squall brought down the day temperatures by a few notches.

Shimla and other parts of the state were lashed by a squall and hailstorm, reducing visibility at some places. The hailstorm disrupted power supply and uprooted trees at a few places.

Sundernagar and Dharamshala recorded 11 mm and 4.4 mm of rainfall till the evening. The hailstorm and squall caused damage to stone fruit crops and standing wheat crops in mid hills.

The Met department here has predicted wet spell in the mid and higher hills for the next six days.

Una recorded a high of 39.8 degrees Celsius while Bilaspur and Sundernagar recorded a maximum temperature of 36.3 degrees Celsius and 34.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Bhuntar recorded a maximum temperature of 32.5 degrees Celsius, 31.6 degrees Celsius in Dharamshala, 30.8 degrees Celsius in Mandi and 25.4 degrees Celsius in Shimla. The Met department has warned of thunderstorm accompanied by squall and hailstorm in the lower and mid hills on Saturday. —  PTI