The Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi district was temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall, while widespread rainfall lashed several parts of Uttarakhand on Friday.
Heavy rain was recorded across at least seven districts, including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh, with areas above 3,000 metres witnessing moderate to heavy snowfall accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph.
The higher Himalayan shrines, including Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, and Gangotri Dham, along with Kharsali on the Yamunotri route, received heavy snowfall. Lower regions, meanwhile, experienced intense spells of rain throughout the day.
Teams from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were deployed to clear the Gangotri highway stretch, which had to be shut briefly due to snow accumulation.
The state recorded an average of 11.9 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am Friday, an excess of 1,285% over normal levels. Uttarkashi recorded the highest rainfall at 22.5 mm, followed by Tehri Garhwal at 19.2 mm.
Weather conditions are expected to clear on March 21 and 22, with thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds likely at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh districts.
