By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 15 Mar: After several days of clear weather in the state, the weather across Uttarakhand changed dramatically late Saturday night. Most of the areas remained overcast, with drizzle and strong winds reported in the hill regions through the day. High peaks such as Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, and Auli witnessed fresh snowfall, leading to a drop in temperature. Snowfall continues in the high Himalayan regions, making the weather pleasant across the state.
In Dehradun, the weather changed after midnight and it rained heavily in the morning hours in the district. Even after the rain ceased, the skies remained mostly cloudy through the day in Dehradun while in Mussoorie, the weather changed on Friday itself recording light rain. It may also be noted here that Gangotri Highway was partially closed due to snowfall since Saturday early morning. As per the reports, Gangotri Highway has been closed for regular vehicles beyond Sukhi Top. Only vehicles equipped with non-skid chains on 4×4 tyres are being permitted to travel further.
Friday night light rain was recorded in Mussoorie while Kotdwar experienced intermittent drizzle starting at midnight of Friday. Strong winds in Kotdwar have caused mango blossoms to fall. Rishikesh has been experiencing continuous rain since late Friday night, while Roorkee and surrounding areas witnessed slight drizzle.
Haridwar also experienced unstable weather, with intermittent rain and heavy thunder recorded from Friday night to Saturday morning. Similarly, Uttarkashi witnessed intermittent rain since late Friday night. Light rain was reported in Pauri and surrounding areas early on Saturday morning, further lowering temperatures.
It may be recalled that in weather forecast issued by the Meteorological Department on Friday, five districts of Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh were likely to receive light rain on Saturday. The forecast was proven to be mostly accurate with rains and snowfall reported from several parts of the state. The weather is however expected to clear out on Sunday.
