Uttarakhand: Gangotri highway shut amid heavy snowfall, rain lashes 7 districts

MUssoorie: The Gangotri main road in Uttarkashi dominion was temporarily unsympathetic due to heavily snowfall betwixt Sukki Top and Gangotri Dham, officials said, adding that widespread rainfall also lashed several parts of Uttarakhand on Friday.According to officials, heavy rain was recorded across at least seven districts,Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh,while areas above 3,000 metres witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph.The higher Himalayan shrines, including Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham and Gangotri Dham, along with Kharsali on the Yamunotri route, received heavy snowfall. Lower regions, meanwhile, experienced intense spells of rain throughout the day.Offiicals from the district disaster management department said the Gangotri highway had to be shut briefly due to snow accumulation, with teams from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) deployed to clear the stretch.Shardul Gusain, district disaster management officer, Uttarkashi, said, “Gangotri Dham experienced a heavy spell of snow, while the Yamunotri highway was opened for traffic on Friday.”In Chamoli district, Badrinath Dham was blanketed under one to two feet of fresh snow. Sunil Purohit, executive officer of Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, confirmed heavy snowfall in the shrine area, along with rainfall in other parts of the district.Data from the India Meteorological Department centre in Dehradun showed that Nainital and Dehradun districts emerged as primary pockets of rainfall activity, recording 10 mm precipitation. Tourist destinations like Mussoorie and Koti recorded 7 mm each, leading to a noticeable dip in temperatures since Friday morning.In the plains and foothills, Kotdwar, Bhimtal and Kaladhungi recorded 6.5 mm rainfall each, while Gular Bhoj received 5.5 mm. Among higher and interior locations, Rani Chauri recorded 6 mm, while New Tehri, Satpuli and Kanatal reported rainfall between 5 mm and 5.5 mm.The state recorded an average of 11.9 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am Friday,an excess of 1,285% over normal levels. Uttarkashi recorded the highest rainfall at 22.5 mm, followed by Tehri Garhwal at 19.2 mm.Rudraprayag and Bageshwar districts reported exceptionally high deviations from normal rainfall patterns. Rudraprayag recorded 16.3 mm rainfall,an 8,037% increase over its usual 0.2 mm,while Bageshwar received 14 mm, marking a 6,900% excess. Dehradun also saw significant activity with 14.4 mm rainfall, nearly twenty times its normal daily average.CS Tomar, director of the IMD Dehradun centre, said an orange alert had been issued for Friday due to an active western disturbance. “Heavy snowfall is likely in higher reaches and rainfall in isolated parts of other districts. Weather conditions are expected to clear on March 21 and 22. Thereafter, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are likely at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts,” he said.In the past 24 hours, the highest maximum temperature of 29°C was recorded at Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district, while the lowest minimum temperature of 4.8°C was recorded at Mukteshwar in Nainital district.