Shimla, June 26 (IANS) Shimla and other parts of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday saw pre-monsoon showers, bringing much relief from the scorching heat, weather officials here said.
"Pre-monsoon thundershower activity has commenced over many parts of the state, including Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kangra, Kullu and Solan districts," Meteorological office Director Manmohan Singh told IANS.
He said conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Southwest monsoon in the next few days in the state.
After the rainfall, the mercury plummeted sharply.
Shimla, which saw 25 mm rainfall, recorded the maximum temperature of 27.6 degrees Celsius.
While Kufri, near the state capital, saw 17 mm rain, Dalhousie in Chamba district recorded 20 mm rainfall.
"There are chances of heavy showers in some parts of the state in the next 48 hours," Singh said.
The pre-monsoon rain has once again raised hopes of a good harvest of apple crop this season too.
Apple is the state's main fruit crop and is grown in nine out of 12 districts.
The economy of the hill state is highly dependent on horticulture, apart from hydroelectric power and tourism, with the annual fruit industry worth about Rs 3,500 crore.
--IANS
vg/vd
(This story was auto-published from a syndicated feed. No part of the story has been edited by The Quint.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)