The hills and valleys of Himachal are unlikely to get respite from freak weather conditions. The local MeT office has predicted another wet spell in middle and higher hills from Friday.
The MeT office also warned of thunderstorm accompanied by lightning at isolated places in lower and middle hills on March 21.
Rain and snow are likely at isolated places in middle and higher hills for six days from Friday onward as a cyclonic circulation lies over southwest Rajasthan and its neighbourhood and a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from the night of March 23.
Barring scattered rains at isolated places, the weather remained dry in the region but the minimum temperatures stayed two to six degrees below normal.
Keylong was the coldest with a low of minus 4.6 degrees while Kalpa and Manali recorded minimum temperatures at zero degrees and 1.4 degrees, followed by Kufri at 4 degrees, Bhuntar 6 degrees, Shimla 6.7 degrees, Palampur 7 degrees, Solan and Sundernagar 7.3 degrees, Dharamshala 9 degrees and Nahan 14.5 degrees. Manali recorded the minimum temperature as six degrees below normal.
The day temperatures rose marginally and Una was the hottest during the day with a high of 29.2 degrees while Sundernagar and Bhuntar recorded a maximum temperature of 25 degrees, followed by Nahan 23.9 degrees, Solan 23 degrees, Palampur 20 degrees, Dharamshala 18.4 degrees, Shimla 17.9 degrees, Manali 16.6 degrees, Kalpa 14.3 degrees and Keylong 5.2 degrees.
Farmers are worried as inclement weather and stormy conditions are harmful for stone fruit crops, which are at a flowering stage, and wheat crop in the lower areas.
