Shimla – A severe thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds, lightning, and heavy rainfall wreaked havoc across Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours, causing extensive damage to crops, uprooting trees, damaging infrastructure, and plunging several areas into darkness. The storm, which struck late Wednesday night, has severely impacted normal life in districts including Chamba, Dalhousie, Mandi, Kullu, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan, and Shimla.
Winds reaching speeds of 85 to 100 kmph uprooted trees and snapped power lines, disrupting electricity supply in hundreds of villages. Parts of Kangra, Barsar, Sujanpur, Una, and Chamba, along with nearly half of Shimla city, have remained without power since the storm hit. The 210-kilometre-long storm line, stretching from north-east to south-west, triggered a wave of destruction across most parts of the state.
The agricultural sector bore the brunt of the storm. While standing wheat crops in the lower hills were flattened, apple orchards in the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, and Chamba districts suffered heavy losses. Mango, plum, apricot, peach, cauliflower, and pea crops were also hit hard by the accompanying hailstorm and strong winds, dealing a major blow to farmers at the peak of the season.
In Kangra, tents erected for wedding ceremonies were torn down by powerful winds, triggering panic among locals late into the night. The gusts also sent plastic water tanks, rooftops, and large trees tumbling, severely affecting road transport and communication systems across the region.
The disruption in power supply also impacted Shimla’s water distribution system. The supply dipped from the regular 42 million litres per day (MLD) to 37.44 MLD. However, SJPNL’s Public Relations Officer Sahil Sharma clarified that water distribution remained unaffected due to sufficient storage in the Ridge, Dhalli, and Sanjauli tanks.
In Pangi, the storm was preceded by a flash flood near Jungle Camp Hindi, which blocked the Pangi-Udaipur road and left 66 police personnel—including 29 women constables—stranded. Three Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses, along with drivers and conductors, were also caught in the situation. The stranded personnel, many of whom were on their way for Himachal Day duties, were rescued and taken to safety at the Forest Rest House and BRO Camp in Hindi.
The Border Roads Organisation is working continuously to clear the debris and restore the road, but melting glaciers continue to cause water flow and delay the process.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, and Lahaul-Spiti districts for April 18 and 19. A yellow alert has been issued for the rest of the state. Officials have warned of a 5 to 7°C drop in temperature during this period, with a gradual rise expected after April 21.
