Heavy rains lash several parts of Himachal

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service 

Shimla, May 31

Heavy rains lashed most parts of Himachal Pradesh causing sharp fall in the maximum temperatures, which dropped five to seven degree and stayed eight to fourteen degree below normal, during the peak summer.

The maximum temperatures, which had risen above 35 degrees during the past few days, plummeted, and Una, which touched 43.3-degree mark last week, recorded a high of 27.2 degrees, 12 degrees below normal while Nahan recorded maximum day temperature at 27.2 degrees.

Shimla and Bhuntar recorded a high of 18.5 degrees and 17.4 degrees, respectively, followed by Sundernagar at 25.5 degrees, Solan at 23.5 degrees and Dharamsala at 23.2 degrees.

Sundernagar was the wettest with 99 mm rain while Bilaspur, Bangana and Shimla received 87 mm, 80 mm and 79 mm rains, respectively, followed by Berthin with 59 mm, Mehre with 58 mm, Jubbar Hatti with 44 mm, Nadaun with 40 mm, Dharamshala with 37 mm Gohar with 36 mm and both Fagu and Banjar with 34 mm.

Minimum temperatures also dropped by two to three degree. Keylong and Kalpa in tribal areas recorded a low of 6.9 degrees and 7.8 degrees, respectively, followed by Manali at 10.4 degrees and Shimla at 12.2 degrees.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm and lightning in mid-hills on Monday and predicted rains and thundershowers in mid-hills and rains or snow in higher hills over the next six days from June 1 to 6.

The region received 270.1 mm average rains against normal rainfall of 226.6 mm, an excess of 19 per cent, and all districts, barring Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur, which received 51 per cent and 47 per cent deficit rains, respectively, received excess rains ranging between 31 per cent and 147 per cent from March 1 to May 31.