By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 31 Dec: Although December remained largely dry in Uttarakhand, the New Year promises a change with forecasts of rain and snowfall, delighting locals and tourists alike. The Meteorological Department has predicted a shift in weather patterns from today onwards and has forecast light rain in several districts and snowfall in the higher mountainous reaches due to a Western disturbance influencing the state from today. Tourists hoping to see snowfall are heading towards various hill stations.
According to the IMD forecast, light snowfall is expected above 3,200 metres in Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Tehri, Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Bageshwar districts. Tomorrow, light rain and snow is likely to continue in various hill areas, according to the department. Scientist at the Meteorological Centre Dehradun, Rohit Thapliyal, observed that while activity may ease by 2 January, light precipitation will linger above 3,000 metres in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar. Dense fog is likely to shroud plains during these two to three days, potentially triggering cold-wave conditions in parts of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.
Temperatures are set to plunge, with maximums dropping by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. Though minimum temperatures have lately stayed above normal, a fall of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius is forecast in the coming days. Uttarakhand stands ready for the New Year tourist rush, with businesses geared up amid chilly weather, foggy skies, and cloud cover. The police have rolled out a detailed traffic plan to handle the festive influx.
Occupancy peaks at key tourist spots like Dehradun, Mussoorie, Chakrata, Nainital, and Pithoragarh, where venues sparkle with festive decorations. Smooth tourist movement poses the biggest challenge, prompting special traffic measures across districts. To curb congestion, especially in Nainital and Mussoorie, where parking remains tricky, shuttle services are in place and vehicle entry will be restricted in crowded zones.
In Dehradun, the traffic management has taken centre stage. Vehicles from Delhi and Haridwar are being diverted via bypasses to avoid the city centre. Extra police personnel have been deputed at the bottlenecks such as ISBT, Chakrata Road, Patel Nagar, Rispana Bridge, and Rajpur Road.
