Winter has made its presence felt across Himachal Pradesh’s high-altitude areas, with the season’s first snowfall recorded at Hatu Peak in the popular tourist destination of Narkanda. Several other mountain areas across the state have also received fresh snow, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures.
Rohtang to Chitkul — snowfall across the highlands
In Lahaul-Spiti, the weather changed on Saturday with light snowfall occurring at Rohtang Pass through the morning. Snow flurries were reported from the North Portal of Atal Tunnel up to Sissu, while hailstorm hit Koksar and Dinfuck. Tourists visiting Lahaul were visibly excited at the sight of snowfall. In Kinnaur’s Chitkul, snowfall began at around 5:30 PM on Saturday evening. Snowfall at higher elevations combined with rain in the lower areas led to a noticeable dip in temperatures across the region.
12.7 cm snowfall in Pangi, Kukumser records minus 5°C
In Chamba district’s Pangi area, fresh snowfall of approximately 12.7 cm was recorded on the high peaks of Sache Jot, Susar Hills, Hudan, and Hilour. In the Bharmour area, peaks including Shri Manimahesh, Kugti, Chaubia, Tudanh, Badagra, Samra, and Kwarsi received around 5 cm of snow. The impact of the weather shift was also visible in temperature readings — Kukumser logged a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius, making it one of the coldest recorded points in the state this season.
More rain and snow possible on October 25
The Meteorological Centre Shimla has indicated the possibility of light rain and snowfall at one or two locations in the high mountain areas of the state on October 25. Light rain and snow had also been forecast for some areas on October 25.
