<p>Shimla, known as the “Queen of the Hills”, recorded the highest snowfall on a single day in January for the past eight years, a Met official said on Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office, said the town recorded 38.6 cm snow in the past 24 hours, the highest in the first month of the year since 2005.<br /><br />“The maximum snow in a day in January was recorded was in 2005. It was 33.2 cm January 18,” he said. <br /><br />“On two consecutive days (January 17 and 18) the town got 63.6 cm.” he added.<br /><br />Singh said snow and heavy rain in the region in the past two days was mainly due to induced cyclonic circulation with the western disturbances.<br /><br /> As per records of the Met office, there was no snowfall at all in Shimla for two consecutive years in January from 2006. But, in 2008, there was just 1 cm snow throughout the month, while it was 8.7 cm in 2009, 1.8 cm in 2010 and 8.5 cm in 2011.<br /><br /> In 2005, there was 94.3 cm snow in January but it was spread over seven days. In 2004, it was 96.6 cm snow on January 23, 26, 30 and 31. <br /><br />On January 23, 2004, alone, Shimla saw 30 cm snow.<br /><br />However, in January last year the town saw 95 cm snow, the second highest after 2004 (96.6 cm). <br /><br />“But last year the highest snow on a single day was just 11 cm (January 16),” Singh added.<br />Old-timers recalled that for almost two decades, Shimla has not recorded the kind of heavy snowfall that used to paralyse life in winter for more than a fortnight in the past. M R Kaundal, retired government employee who settled in Shimla in 1945, said till the 1980s, heavy snowfall was a normal feature of the town. <br /><br />“As far as I remember the last time it occurred was during the winter of 1990-91 when the town was cut off from the rest of the country for more than two weeks due to snow. <br /><br />Tourists had to hire porters to leave the town, and trudge miles,” he said.<br /><br />According to Compendium of Environmental Statistics, Himachal Pradesh-2012, compiled by the state’s department of economics and statistics, the state’s minimum average temperature, which was registered at 5.6 degrees Celsius in 1971-72, is now 5.8 degrees.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Shimla, known as the “Queen of the Hills”, recorded the highest snowfall on a single day in January for the past eight years, a Met official said on Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office, said the town recorded 38.6 cm snow in the past 24 hours, the highest in the first month of the year since 2005.<br /><br />“The maximum snow in a day in January was recorded was in 2005. It was 33.2 cm January 18,” he said. <br /><br />“On two consecutive days (January 17 and 18) the town got 63.6 cm.” he added.<br /><br />Singh said snow and heavy rain in the region in the past two days was mainly due to induced cyclonic circulation with the western disturbances.<br /><br /> As per records of the Met office, there was no snowfall at all in Shimla for two consecutive years in January from 2006. But, in 2008, there was just 1 cm snow throughout the month, while it was 8.7 cm in 2009, 1.8 cm in 2010 and 8.5 cm in 2011.<br /><br /> In 2005, there was 94.3 cm snow in January but it was spread over seven days. In 2004, it was 96.6 cm snow on January 23, 26, 30 and 31. <br /><br />On January 23, 2004, alone, Shimla saw 30 cm snow.<br /><br />However, in January last year the town saw 95 cm snow, the second highest after 2004 (96.6 cm). <br /><br />“But last year the highest snow on a single day was just 11 cm (January 16),” Singh added.<br />Old-timers recalled that for almost two decades, Shimla has not recorded the kind of heavy snowfall that used to paralyse life in winter for more than a fortnight in the past. M R Kaundal, retired government employee who settled in Shimla in 1945, said till the 1980s, heavy snowfall was a normal feature of the town. <br /><br />“As far as I remember the last time it occurred was during the winter of 1990-91 when the town was cut off from the rest of the country for more than two weeks due to snow. <br /><br />Tourists had to hire porters to leave the town, and trudge miles,” he said.<br /><br />According to Compendium of Environmental Statistics, Himachal Pradesh-2012, compiled by the state’s department of economics and statistics, the state’s minimum average temperature, which was registered at 5.6 degrees Celsius in 1971-72, is now 5.8 degrees.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>