The Southwest Monsoon has now covered the entire state of Himachal Pradesh, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places until July 7. An orange alert has been issued for the districts of Shimla, Mandi, Kangra, and Sirmaur for July 2, warning of very heavy rain at isolated spots. A yellow alert has been declared for Kullu, Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Chamba, where heavy rainfall is expected at isolated locations.
Monsoon Arrival and Coverage
According to the State Meteorological Centre, the monsoon advanced into the remaining parts of Himachal on Wednesday, slightly later than its normal onset date of June 25. It now covers the remaining areas of Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, and Kangra districts, along with the entire districts of Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Chamba. The weather office has issued orange and yellow alerts for various districts valid till July 5.
Rainfall Recorded in Past 24 Hours
Light to moderate rainfall was recorded across the state during the previous 24 hours. Nagrota Surian in Kangra district received 110 mm of rain, the highest in the state. Palampur recorded 74.4 mm, Jogindernagar 50 mm, Kangra 33.6 mm, Bilaspur 24.2 mm, Bhuntar 23.2 mm, Dharamshala 16 mm, Hamirpur 15 mm, Una 14.4 mm, Manali 12 mm, Mandi 10.6 mm, Sundernagar 9.3 mm, and Shimla 1.2 mm.
Temperature Drops Due to Rain
The rainfall led to a drop of up to 5°C in maximum temperatures across the state. The maximum temperature was recorded at 19.7°C in Shimla, 30°C in Dharamshala, 22.2°C in Manali, 23°C in Solan, 31.2°C in Kangra, 29.2°C in Mandi, 28.9°C in Sundernagar, 15.2°C in Kufri, 21.1°C in Keylong, 26.9°C in Bhuntar, 21.7°C in Kalpa, 13.2°C in Narkanda, 29.1°C in Chamba, and 25.7°C in Nahan. The highest maximum temperature in the state was 32.2°C recorded in Una, while the lowest minimum temperature was 8°C in Bharmour of Chamba district.
