Orange alert issued in 2-7 districts of Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, July 20: The local meteorological office on Sunday issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of 2-7 out of the 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh from July 21-23.Heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning are likely at isolated parts of Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur on Monday; Solan and Sirmaur on Tuesday, and Una and Bilapsur on Wednesday, it said.On Sunday, light to moderate rains lashed parts of the state. Murari Devi received 58.6 mm rain since Saturday evening, followed by Slapper 22.3 mm, Hamirpur 18.5 mm, Kangra 15.2 mm, Dharamshala 13.8 mm, Mandi 12.4 mm, Jubbarhatti 12 mm, Jogindernagar 11 mm, Bilaspur 10.4 mm, Malraon 7 mm, Kandaghat 5.8 mm, Shimla 6 mm and Sunnibajji 5 mm.As of Sunday evening, a total of 142 roads remained closed in the state, and 40 water supply schemes and 26 power distribution transformers have been affected, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Around 91 roads have been closed in Mandi district.Keylong was coldest at night, recording a low of 13.7 degrees Celsius, while Una was hottest during the day with a high of 34.4 degrees Celisus.