Shimla, July 17 — Himachal Pradesh is bracing for continued heavy rainfall across several districts as the state meteorological department extended its weather warnings through July 23.
A yellow alert has been issued for Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts for the next 24 hours, forecasting isolated heavy showers. In addition, the Met department has issued orange warnings for July 21 in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, and Sirmaur, where very heavy rainfall is expected in some areas.
“Light to moderate rain is likely at many places across the state through July 23,” a Met official said. “There will be spells of heavy rain in isolated areas on July 18 and 20, and very heavy rain in some places between July 21 and 23.”
The department also forecast a dip in temperatures, with maximum temperatures expected to fall by 2°C to 4°C over the next 24 hours before gradually rising again by 3°C to 5°C. Minimum temperatures will likely follow a similar pattern, dropping 2°C to 3°C initially and then rising by the same margin in the coming days.
Sirmaur district recorded the heaviest rainfall in the past 24 hours, with Nahan receiving 67.3 mm, followed by Dhaulakuan with 58.5 mm and Paonta Sahib at 56.4 mm. In Mandi district, Pandoh recorded 39 mm. Other notable rainfall figures include Dharamsala (17.1 mm), Palampur (14.6 mm), Chamba (6 mm), Kasauli (4.2 mm), Solan (4 mm), and Shimla (1.4 mm).
Temperature readings across the state reflected the cool and wet spell. Shimla recorded a maximum of 20.9°C, while Dharamsala was at 26.1°C, Manali at 24.8°C, Solan at 24°C, and Mandi at 28.9°C. Una was the hottest location with a maximum temperature of 32.4°C. At the other extreme, Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest minimum at 12.3°C.
Authorities have advised residents, especially in vulnerable and hilly areas, to remain cautious due to the possibility of landslides and flash floods in the coming days.
