Heavy snowfall in many high-altitude areas and brief to moderate rains in the plains saw people shivering with cold, bringing life to a standstill in many places on Wednesday.

Rainfall accompanied by snowfall since Tuesday night blanketed many areas in remote mountain districts, including Bajura, Mugu, Jumla, Manang, Mustang, Rasuwa, Taplejung, Humla, Jajarkot, Darchula and Dolpa. Many places reported snow up to 3-4 feet above the ground surface.

The cold spell, with continuous snowfall since Monday evening, has particularly affected the lives of thousands of earthquake-affected families who are still living under temporary camps in northern Gorkha.

“We had a similar condition with heavy snowfall two weeks ago. We have just finished clearing the snow from previous spell and now this fresh snowfall has compounded our condition,” said Dambar Gurung, a local from Laprak. “We’ve got to clear the snow from the roof to prevent it from collapsing. We are having sleepless nights the snowfall since Monday evening has already caused damage to the shelter,” he said. Locals from Barpak, the epicenter of the Great Earthquake saw a sharp drop in mercury level due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening. The inclement weather condition has halted the winter relief programme planned by the authorities for Sirdibas in Gorkha.

Another report from Bajura said that heavy snowfall since Tuesday night has disrupted the telephone service in the district and shut down the schools in the highlands. The children, elderly population and patients in local health posts have been affected the most from the extreme cold condition.

The sudden winter rains has, however, elated farmers waiting for better winter crops. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the cloudy weather condition with brief to moderate rains in plains, and rains accompanied by snowfall in the hills and mountains will improve from Thursday. All 19 meteorological stations except Biratnagar recorded brief to moderate rains on Wednesday, with Jumla measuring the highest amount of rainfall at 26.1 millimeters, followed by Dang, Taplejung and Okhadhunga at 8.3, 6.4 and 4.7 millimeters respectively. (With inputs from our local correspondents)