Torrential rains that lashed Himachal Pradesh over the last 24 hours have severely disrupted normal life in the districts of Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, and Mandi.
Heavy rainfall was also reported in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Solan and Mandi, while other districts received moderate rainfall”. Monsoon to weaken after August 23: MeT Himachal Pradesh Meteorological Department (IMD) head Shobhit Katiyar said on Wednesday, “Several parts of the state received moderate to heavy rainfall during the past 24 hours, with the plains of Bilaspur and Hamirpur recording around 12-13 cm of rain. More than 166 roads across the state are closed to vehicular traffic due to landslides, fallen trees, and waterlogging. National Highway 003 (NH-3) is blocked between Mandi and Kotli with a section also blocked near Ropru in Dharampur due to heavy monsoon rains and landslides affecting connectivity across the region.
“On August 21, rainfall activity is expected to become confined to a smaller area, with moderate rain likely in Una, Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur, while no significant weather activity is expected in other districts”, he said.
The met department has predicted that monsoon is expected to weaken significantly across the state after August 23 “Over the next three days, the monsoon will remain active in some parts of the state. However, after August 23, it will weaken considerably across Himachal Pradesh,” Katiyar said while adding that the rainfall activity is expected to decrease from Thursday, although moderate to heavy rain may continue in parts of Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, Una and Bilaspur. “After August 23, there is no weather warning for the state. There is no possibility of severe weather for around the next 45 days,” Katiyar said. He added that Himachal had recorded a 7% rainfall deficit between June 1 and August 18.
The monsoon will remain weak, although light rain may occur at isolated places.
