Himachal to receive fresh spell of rainfall between April 18-21: IMD HP

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a strong western disturbance is expected to impact the state, resulting in light to moderate rainfall in most regions and heavy rainfall in higher altitudes.

Speaking to ANI, Shobhit Katiyar, Senior Scientist at the IMD's Himachal Pradesh Centre in Shimla, said that the weather will change after two days with the approaching fresh Western disturbance on April 18.

"In the next 48 hours, the weather will remain mostly clear across the state. However, a very active western disturbance is expected to influence Himachal Pradesh from the afternoon of April 18 until the morning of April 21. Due to this system, we are likely to see intermittent rainfall across many parts of the state," said Katiyar.

He added that light rain may occur today in Chamba and Kangra districts, but the main spell of rainfall will begin from April 18.

"There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in the higher regions of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts on April 18 and 19. Some areas may receive rainfall between 6 to 12 cm. Because of this, we have issued an orange alert for these districts for April 18 and 19," Katiyar further explained.

Talking about the temperatures, he said that the temperatures will also decrease after the 18th in the region.

"Currently, daytime temperatures in most places are within the normal range, though a few areas are recording 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal. However, during the upcoming rain spell from April 18 to 21, we expect a significant drop in temperature, around 5 to 7 degrees Celsius in most parts of the state," he added.

Commenting on the rainfall deficit in April so far, Katiyar said that there has been a deficit of rain in the month of April.

"Till April 15, Himachal Pradesh has received only 10 mm of rainfall, while the average for this period should be around 35 mm. That's a deficit of nearly 70 per cent. However, this active Western Disturbance is expected to bring significant rainfall over the next few days, which will help bridge the deficit," he said.

He also mentioned that temperatures are expected to rise again after April 22.