Snow in tribal areas
Tribune Reporters

Shimla, May 16
The lower areas of the state were lashed by thunder showers and the
higher reaches of the tribal belt experienced mild snow as the spell
of freak weather continued unabated in the region.

According to the Met office, higher reaches of the tribal areas of
Kinanur, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi were having intermittent mild snow
since this morning. The lower areas were lashed by thundershowers
accompanied with strong winds.

The state capital and its surrounding areas were lashed with brisk
showers in the afternoon. The tourist towns of Manali, Dharmasala and
Dalhousie also had light rain.

However, the temperatures rose across the state due to the cloud
cover. Shimla recorded a minimum of 16°C, up by 8 degrees, and a
maximum of 25.5°C. The total precipitation during the day was 2.5 mm.

KULLU: Strong winds with heavy rains lashed the lower region of Kullu
causing damage to the fruit and vegetable crops. The apple and other
stone fruits were severely damaged during the rainstorm. The heavy
down pour made the Bhuntar-Manali National Highway like a pond of
water at many places temporarily hampering the traffic.

The Air India flight that reached the Kullu-Manali airport from Delhi
could not fly back due to sudden bad weather conditions forcing the
tourists and other passengers to stay back. The flight would leave
tomorrow morning for Delhi.