The Kangra valley has been lashed by heavy rain since last night coupled with fog and a mild snowfall, a first of the season, on the Dhauladhar mountain range overlooking the lush green Kangra valley and dropping the temperature considerably.

The rain started last night and continued till this afternoon. Kangra town received 80 mm of rain during the past 24 hours. Life was thrown out of gear following the rain, and traffic was also disrupted on some link roads.

Mercury dropped considerably following the first mild snowfall on the Dhauladhars.

Most people remained indoors due to the heavy rain today. Vehicles were forced to move with headlights on as it was an evening-like situation in the morning.

Rain also lashed the Palampur, Mallan Yol, Jwalamukhi, Shahpur, Gaggal, Kotla, Dehra and Ranital areas.

Most of the rivers in the valley were swollen following the rain. School-going children had also faced the wrath of rain.

Nowadays marriage season is at its peak and the incessant and unprecedented rain with mild cold in the valley has put families to inconvenience.

The 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass, gateway to the Lahaul-Spiti valley, today experienced season’s first snowfall, while lower parts of the region were lashed by heavy rain, causing a sharp fall in temperature.

The entire higher reaches of the Manali region, including the Pir Panjal ranges, the Hamta Pass, Bhrighu slopes and the Beas Kund, also had fresh snow.

Due to fresh snowfall in the entire higher reaches in the Manali region, wintery conditions made people take out their woollens.

Sources in the Border Roads Organisation (BR0) said the 4,883-m-high Baralacha Pass on the Manali-Leh highway also experienced fresh snowfall today.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation has suspended its bus services on the 475-km-long Manali-Leh highway.

Vehicular traffic on the Manali-Kaza road in the Spiti valley has also been disrupted due to fresh snowfall at the Kunjum Pass.

According to Himachal Road Transport Corporation, all buses plying to the Lahaul valley, including Keylong, Udaipur, Trilokinath, Jalma and Darcha from Manali, has suspended today.

Continuing spell of heavy rain and fresh snowfall on the entire higher reaches of Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu valley have also disrupted adventure tourism-related activities.

http://himadventures.net/outdoor_forums/

 Nepal officially opened its Great Himalaya Trail, one of the longest and highest walking trails in the world, tourism officials said Wednesday.

Bodies of missing trekkers spotted in upper Himalayas

  The picturesque Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has been cut off from capital Shimla due to massive landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the region over the past few days, an official said here Friday.

Reports said hundreds of vehicles, carrying tourists and locals, have been stranded on the highway.

Boulders and debris early Friday blocked the highway near Nathpa village, located on the border of Kinnaur district, some 190 km from Shimla, a government spokesperson told IANS.

He said the highway is likely to be reopened Saturday.

The entire tribal Kinnaur district and the Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti region have been cut off from Shimla.