Shimla, May 15 (PTI) A thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds at 40-50 kmph lashed Shimla and its adjoining tourist spots of Kufri and Fagu on Thursday evening, even as the maximum temperature rose marginally in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh, the local Met department said.
The thunderstorm, followed by a sharp shower, lasted for a few minutes as the sky remained overcast.
The local meteorological station has predicted light rain or snow at isolated places in the higher hills from May 16 to 21 and light rain at isolated places in the mid and lower hills from May 19 to 21.
The weather department also issued a yellow alert for thunderstorm and lightning accompanied by gusty winds with a speed of up to 40-50 kmph on May 18 and 19.
The maximum and minimum temperatures rose marginally on Thursday, with Una recording a high of 41.8 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches above normal, followed by Dhaulakuan in Sirmour district at 38.9 degrees, Bilaspur 38.7 degrees, and Sundernagar at 37.6 degrees Celsius.
Tabo in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state with a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius.