Former Uttarakhand CM, Congress leaders stuck in Kedarnath, after heavy snowfall

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, along with Congress leaders, got stuck in Kedarnath, following heavy snowfall in the area.

The shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva reopened for pilgrims on April 29 this year. Rawat along with Congress MP Pradeep Tamta, local MLA Manoj Rawat and other leaders' from the party started trekking to the shrine on foot from Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district.

Badrinath also received fresh snowfall this morning and atleast two inches of snow has covered the area. Despite this, Badrinath Yatra is still underway. Hemkund, too, received fresh snowfall.

The thunderstorms and heavy rain that hit the several parts of India on Monday evening, lead to damage to trees and electricity poles got uprooted in Uttarakhand's Dehradun. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team reached the spot to vacate the roads.

Predicting about the possible weather situation in Himachal Pradesh, the Director of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Manmohan Singh said, "Heavy rains and snowfall can be expected in next 24 hours. Keylong's maximum temperature has dropped to 3.5 degree celsius. The temperature here in Shimla has dropped 4-5 degrees below than the normal temperature."

According to weather department scientists, the thunderstorm was triggered by high temperatures in Northern India and a western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir and winds from the Bay of Bengal.

This resulted in a cyclonic circulation over Haryana which affected the neighbouring states.