Shimla: The higher reaches of Himachal received heavy snowfall, and the low and mid hills were lashed by rains, disrupting life in Himachal Pradesh as roads were blocked and many areas plunged into darkness on Wednesday. It started snowing in districts including Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur on Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday, most parts of these two districts were covered in a thick white blanket.
According to the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, it snowed 41 cm in Kukumseri, 16 cm in Gondhla, 12 cm in Keylong, 13.8 cm in Kalpa, 3.5 cm in Sangla, and 10 cm in Khadrala in Shimla district of the state. Heavy snowfall was also recorded in Atal Tunnel area, Sissu, and Koksar.
Several places near Manali, including Solang Valley, also received a fresh spell of snowfall on Wednesday. Bharmour and Pangi areas of Chamba district also received heavy snowfall, and light to moderate snow was recorded in the upper reaches of Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, Shimla, and Sirmaur districts.
The heavy snowfall blocked hundreds of roads in the high-altitude areas of the state. In Lahaul Spiti, 165 roads were closed due to heavy snowfall, with the highest number being 74 in Lahaul sub-division, followed by 60 in Udaipur and 31 in Spiti sub-division. Many areas of Chamba, Lahaul Spiti, and Kinnaur also faced power outages due to heavy snowfall. In Kullu valley, the power was not restored even after 12 hours.

The mid and low hills of the state received one of the heaviest rain of the season. According to the weather department, Kullu recorded the highest rainfall of 24.8 mm by Wednesday morning, followed by 19.8 mm in Lahaul Spiti, 10.5 mm in Chamba, 9.5 mm in Shimla, and 7.2 mm in Kinnaur. Overall, the state recorded 11.4 mm by Wednesday morning, 128% more than the normal rain of 5 mm.
Keylong in Lahaul Spiti recorded the lowest minimum temperature of -3.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, followed by Tabo with -2.8 degrees and Kukumseri -0.5 degrees. Among tourist destinations, Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 7.4 degrees, Manali 2.1 degrees, Dharamshala 4.4 degrees, and Dalhousie 7.9 degrees.
The weather department has issued an orange alert (severe weather conditions) for heavy to very heavy snowfall and rains at isolated places in the state on Feb 27 and 28.