Shimla, May 20 (PTI) Rising temperatures coupled with dry weather triggered heatwave conditions in Himachal on Wednesday, with mercury touching 40 degrees Celsius at several places.
Among the districts, Una recorded the highest in the state at 44 degrees Celsius, whereas Shimla saw the day temperature rising to 30.5 degrees Celsius.
For years, Shimla has been a popular summer escape for people from the plains, offering relief from the scorching summer heat. However, this time, the tourists feel that the hill town is noticeably warmer than before.
“Afternoons, in particular, are turning out to be warmer than expected. Shimla, in particular, is slowly changing,” said Prateek Mehta, a tourist from Faridabad.
Another tourist, Preetha, said that daytime heat in Shinla is becoming unbearable, which is unusual for a town long associated with pleasant, mild summers.
The local Meteorological station has issued a yellow warning for heatwave at isolated places in Shimla and Solan districts for May 21.
Hamirpur district was the hottest in the night at 27 degrees Celsius, followed by Dehra Gopipur, Paonta Sahib and Bilaspur at 24 degrees Celsius each, Palampur at 23.5 degrees Celsius, and Jubbarhatti at 23 degrees Celsius.
In Sundernagar, the maximum temperature was at 39.2 degrees Celsius, Kangra at 39 degrees, Mandi and Nahan at 38.3 degrees each, while Berthin at 38 degrees Celsius.
Key tourist destinations like Shimla, Dharamshala and Manali recorded minimum temperature at 20.5 degrees Celsius, 21.2 degrees Celsius and 11.8 degrees Celsius, respectively, while Kukumseri was coldest in the region with a low of 5.6 degrees.
The Met office also issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra and Kullu districts from May 21 to 23, and Mandi and Shimla districts on May 22 and 23.
The MeT station also predicted light rain at isolated places in the lower hills on May 22, 23 and 25, and in the mid-hills from May 22 to May 26. It said light rain or snow is predicted for isolated places in the higher hills over the next six days, raising hopes of relief from heatwave.
Meanwhile, light to moderate rains were witnessed in isolated places. Bhuntar received 19.2 mm of rain, while Manali received traces of rain in the past 24 hours since Tuesday evening.
The weather office also said there is a likelihood of minimum and maximum temperatures dropping by two to four degrees in the next 48 hours. PTI BPL KSI KSI
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