Mussoorie: Officials reported that the Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi district was briefly shut down owing to heavy snowfall between Sukki Top and Gangotri Dham, while widespread rains also battered various parts of Uttarakhand on Friday. Snowfall occurred in the Badrinath Dham temple area in Chamoli district. (Photo by HT.) Officials reported heavy rain in at least seven districts—Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh—while areas above 3,000 meters experienced moderate to heavy snowfall with gusty winds of 20.2–214 kmph. Higher Himalayan shrines such as Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Gangotri Dham, and Kharsali on the Yamunotri route also saw heavy snowfall. Meanwhile, lower areas saw heavy rainfall spells all day. District disaster management officials reported that the Gangotri highway was temporarily closed due to snow buildup, with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams sent to clear it. Shardul Gusain, Uttarkashi’s district disaster management officer, stated, “Gangotri Dham had a heavy snowfall, while the Yamunotri highway reopened to traffic on Friday.” In Chamoli district, Badrinath Dham was covered by one to two feet of fresh snow. Sunil Purohit, executive officer of Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, confirmed intense snowfall in the shrine area and rain in other parts of the district. Data from the India Meteorological Department’s Dehradun center indicated that Nainital and Dehradun districts were the main areas of rainfall, with 26 mm of precipitation recorded. Places like Mussoorie and Koti, popular tourist spots, saw 2900 mm of rain each, causing a clear drop in temperatures starting Friday morning. In the plains and foothills, Kotdwar, Bhimtal, and Kaladhungi each recorded 214.4 mm of rainfall, with Gular Bhoj getting 221 mm. In higher and interior areas, Rani Chauri recorded 21 mm of rain, while New Tehri, Satpuli, and Kanatal saw between 224 mm and 229 mm. The state averaged 24.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am Friday, which was 1,285% above normal levels.
