Snowfall in far-western region, highways don white screen; Karnali under snow cover

Baitadi / Jan 8: Snowfall was recorded after a brief spell of rain in the far-western region including Baitadi last night in the wake of a sudden change in the weather pattern.

The Anarkholi, Khodape, Saatbanja, Musyachaur, Dehimandaul along with Srikot Gwalekh and Shivanath VDCs in the upper regions of the district witnessed snowfall, said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Heramba Sharma, of District Police Office, Baitadi.

A thick blanket of snow cover has obstructed transportations along the Dhasarath Chand and Jaya Prithvi highways since last night. One and a half feet of snow has covered the highways as per the information the police received and plans area underway to clear the snow with help of a dozer.

Dozens of vehicles and hundreds of passengers heading to Dadeldhura, Dhangadi, Mahendranagar, Kathmandu among other districts from Baitadi have been stranded. The severe cold in the wake of rain and snowfall has affected normal life in the district with cold becoming particularly unbearable for children and elderly citizens.

Meanwhile, the farmers have welcomed the arrival of rain and snow as it would prevent their winter crops from drying up.

Karnali under snow cover

Similarly, the Karnali region is witnessing intense snowfall from early in the morning which has put normal life out of gear with plummeting temperature.

The sky was covered in low hanging dark clouds on Saturday spreading a biting cold throughout Jumla. The snowfall started at 4 pm on the same day in the high alpine areas of Humla, Mugu and Dolpa, which are now under five to four feet of snow cover.

The Jumla headquarters received 11 centimetres of snowfall, Climatic Field Office, Jumla Chief, AP Chaurasiya shared.

“The minimum temperature has dipped to -4.1 degree Celsius due to the cold yesterday,” Chaurasiya said, adding “First there was a brief spell of rainfall and then snow.” The long and short route vehicles leaving for their destinations have been stranded.

A scheduled display of a statue of Jumla’s Chandanath temple – which was stolen on November 26 and found on January 1 – has been postponed due to the snowfall, Chief District Officer (CDO), Rudra Prasad Pandit said.

According to the Climatic Field Office, the weather is expected to clear at around 2 pm this afternoon. RSS