Fresh snowfall in higher reaches of Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Jan 5: Higher reaches of Uttarakhand hills received fresh snowfall on Saturday while overcast conditions prevailed at most places in the plains. The Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag and Badrinath in Chamoli district, besides the skiing slopes of Auli, received fresh spells of snow in the morning and afternoon, the meteorological department said.

The lower areas of the two hilly districts were swept by chilly winds, it said. Nandadevi and Valley of Flowers National Park, a World Heritage Site, and Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary also received snowfall. In the lower areas, fewer people and vehicles were seen on the roads as residents chose to remain indoors to avoid the cold.

Dehradun also witnessed a cold day with an overcast sky and recorded a minimum temperature of 6.6 degree Celsius. In Mukteshwar, New Tehri and Pantnagar the mercury settled at 3.1 degree Celsius, 5.2 degrees Celsius and 5.6 degrees Celsius respectively.

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The weather department has warned of heavy snowfall and rain at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts over the next 36 hours. Hailstorm is also likely to hit isolated places in Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Nainital and Champawat districts during the period, it said.

PTI