Snowfall in Shimla, Hail Alert in 5 Districts

April 8, 2026

In Himachal Pradesh, snowfall occurred after 6 am on the high mountains of Lahaul Spiti, including the famous tourist spots of Shimla district, Narkanda, and Kufri. Before this, there was heavy rain throughout the state overnight. Storms also occurred in several places. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for hail and storms in five districts today as well.

After the rain and snowfall, the hills have experienced cold like December-January. As a result, people are forced to bring out their warm winter clothes. The minimum temperature in many cities of the state has reached around the freezing point. In the past 24 hours, the state’s average maximum temperature has also fallen 5 degrees Celsius below normal. After snowfall, it will decrease further.

Una witnessed the maximum drop in temperature compared to normal, falling by 9.2 degrees to 23.6 degrees Celsius. Solan’s maximum temperature also fell 9.1 degrees below normal to 23.6 degrees, Kangra’s dropped 6.1 degrees to 26 degrees, and Sundernagar’s decreased 5.6 degrees to 23.3 degrees Celsius.

Night temperature reached freezing point at 3 places

In the past 24 hours, the minimum temperature in Kalpa was 0.4 degrees, Kukumsari 0.4, Tabo 1.1 degrees, Manali 5.5 degrees, Siobag 5.8 degrees, Solan 8.5, Bhuntar and Shimla remained at a minimum of 8 degrees Celsius. According to the latest bulletin from the Meteorological Department (IMD), there is a possibility of temperatures dropping below zero in several cities.

Orange alert in five districts today

According to the IMD – there are no signs of relief from the cold in the next 48 hours. Today, an orange alert for heavy hailstorm and storm has been issued in Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur districts. A yellow alert warning has been issued in other districts. During this period, storms are forecasted to blow at a speed of 50 to 60 km per hour.

The weather will remain bad throughout the state tomorrow as well.

The forecast predicts bad weather for the day after tomorrow as well. A yellow alert has been issued for Mandi, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts for April 9. On April 10, the western disturbance is expected to weaken slightly, and on this day, there may be light drizzle only in higher hill areas, whereas on April 11 and 12, there are chances of light rainfall in some higher and mid-altitude areas.

Crisis for the apple crop

Apple growers are facing heavy losses due to snowfall in high hills. The anti-hail nets and bamboo erected to protect apples from the weight of snow are breaking. The crop is under risk due to extreme cold during apple flowering since the average temperature should be 14 to 15 degrees during flowering. However, for the past two days, the average temperature has dropped to 6 to 7 degrees.