Shimla, June 21: Several parts of Himachal Pradesh witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall on Saturday, prompting the local Meteorological Department to issue an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in five districts on Sunday and in nine districts on Wednesday.
According to the alert, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, and Sirmaur are likely to experience intense rainfall on Sunday. By Wednesday, heavy to very heavy rain is expected in nine out of twelve districts, excluding Kullu, Kinnaur, and Lahaul and Spiti.
The Met office has also issued a yellow warning for heavy rain across most districts on Monday and Tuesday.
In the last 24 hours, Kangra recorded the highest rainfall at 87.8 mm, followed by Nagrota Suriyan (56.4 mm), Jogindernagar (54 mm), Guler (40.8 mm), Nadaun (30 mm), Sujanpur Tira (28.5 mm), Baijnath (28 mm), Palampur (20 mm) and Nahan (18.2 mm).
Thunderstorms accompanied by rain and gusty winds up to 37 kmph were reported in Sundernagar, Kangra, and Bajaura.
The Meteorological Department stated that conditions are favourable for further advancement of the southwest monsoon into the remaining parts of Himachal Pradesh over the next two days. The monsoon had already made its entry into parts of the state on Friday.
In anticipation of monsoon-related disruptions, the Director General of Police has directed local police officials to ensure readiness for emergency situations. The instructions include ensuring power backup for communication equipment, operational generator sets with sufficient fuel, testing communication systems in remote areas, conducting mock drills, and maintaining rescue inventories.
Temperature-wise, there was no major fluctuation recorded. Kukumseri remained the coldest at night with a minimum temperature of 11.8°C, while Una was the hottest during the day, recording 34°C.