Sudden plunge in mercury; Rains, snow chill the country
Temperatures dipped below normal levels on Tuesday with rainfall and snowfall across several parts of the country.
"A low pressure system in the Mediterranean Sea resulted in western disturbances that pushed the precipitation to the east," said Suman Kumar Regmi, Senior Divisional Meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
Westerly winds flowing via Afghanistan, Pakistan and India entered the western part of Nepal on Monday, resulting in heavy rainfall and snowfall across Nepal.
Traffic on the Dhangadi-Dadeldhura highway was halted for three hours with the highway covered with snow.
Normal life in the Capital was thrown out of gear as well, with at least 20.9 mm of rain on Tuesday.
Jumla saw the highest precipitation in the last six months, with 65.1 mm of rain on Tuesday itself. All flights to the district were cancelled due to the rain and snowfall.
Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang, experienced snowfall for the first time in 14 years. Traffic movement was completely halted and shops, schools and government offices remained shut. Roads were covered with about 5 feet of snow, according to Jhigrana Army Barrack in Khaptad National Park.
It snowed heavily in Manang and Mustang districts as well, throwing normal life out of gear. According to Ghanashyam Gautam, an employee at the Mustang District Administration Office, all the VDCs in the district witnessed snowfall on Tuesday. He said most government employees could not reach their office due to adverse weather conditions.
Likewise, snowfall affected life in Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Gorkha and Lamjung districts as well. Transportation was disrupted in the tourist destination of Ghorepani, Myagdi, due to snowfall.
Similarly, the districts of Dadheldhura, Achham, Bajura, Rasuwa, Ramechhap, and Doti also saw snowfall on Tuesday. Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa, saw at least one foot of snow, while government offices and schools remained closed in Jajarkot.
The eastern parts of the country also witnessed light snow and continuous rains. There was snowfall in Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha districts.
Regmi said that the central and eastern part of the country will see rainfall till Wednesday morning. "The rains will hopefully recede thereafter," he said.
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