Shimla experienced an unusual January heatwave on Saturday, recording a maximum temperature of 23.1°C, the highest so far this month. This surpassed Friday’s maximum of 22°C, which had briefly held the record. Meanwhile, Solan reached a historic high of 29°C on January 4, the warmest January temperature ever recorded in Himachal Pradesh. The previous record for Solan was 27.5°C, set on January 26, 2007.
Other regions also reported unusually high temperatures. Hamirpur recorded 27.4°C, Barthin 27.5°C, Sundernagar 26.0°C, and Jubbarhatti 25.4°C. In contrast, the minimum temperature in Shimla stood at 10.4°C, while Kufri recorded 10.9°C.
Yellow and Orange Alerts for Heavy Rain and Snowfall
In a sharp turn, the Meteorological Department has issued yellow and orange alerts for heavy rain, snowfall, and thunderstorms across the state due to western disturbance activity.
On January 5, a yellow alert has been issued for the Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, and Lahaul-Spiti districts, warning of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. The following day, January 6, the alert escalates to orange for districts including Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, and Chamba. Light to moderate snowfall is anticipated from January 5 to January 7 in middle and high-altitude regions, with heavy snowfall likely in tourist hotspots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Dalhousie, and Manali.
The current spell of above-normal temperatures is expected to end soon, with minimum temperatures in middle and high mountain areas likely to drop by 4-5°C over the next two to three days. Maximum temperatures could also decline by 5-6°C. Widespread rainfall is predicted from the afternoon of January 5 to the morning of January 6, followed by heavy snowfall in higher elevations.
