MeT forecasts heavy rain in three Himachal districts over next 2 days; orange alert issued

Shimla: The weather office on Sunday issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in three Himachal Pradesh districts over the next two days.

The alert has been issued for Kangra and Sirmaur districts for Monday, and Kangra and Mandi districts for Tuesday.

As per India Meteorological Department's colour-coded weather warning system, an 'orange alert' signifies that severe weather is imminent, and cautions of significant disruptions to transport and power.


According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 118 roads across Himachal Pradesh are closed as of Sunday evening owing to torrential rain and related incidents.

A maximum of 44 roads are closed in Mandi district, followed by 39 in Kullu, 13 in Shimla, seven in Chamba, six in Sirmaur, five in Kangra, three in Una and one in Solan district. At least 18 water supply projects are also hit.

Light to moderate rain lashed parts of the state on Sunday. Paonta Sahib received 38.2 mm rainfall, followed by Sarahan (25.8 mm), Gharmour (5.6 mm), Dharamshala (6.2 mm), Jot and Kukumseri (2.8 mm each), and Dehra Gopipur and Kotkhai (2.3 mm each).

Officials said since the onset of monsoon on June 30, at least 68 people have died in rain-related incidents, across the state, with 14 killed in landslides and one in flash flood. The state has suffered losses amounting to Rs 835 crore during this period.

The weather department has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 15.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state on Sunday, recording a minimum of 11 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest with a maximum of 34.6 degrees Celsius.