Thick blanket of snow covers Uttarakhand's Badrinath Temple

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], January 5 : The holy shrine of Badrinath in Chamoli district was covered in a blanket of snow on Tuesday as Uttarakhand witnessed heavy snowfall.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in its weather report predicted "light to moderate rain/snowfall" likely to occur over most places in the state.
"Snowfall likely to occur at places with height 1,600 metre and above in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, and Pithoragarh districts and at places with height 2,200 metre and above in remaining districts of Uttarakhand," it stated.
However, the minimum temperature did not slip down to negative degrees. The report stated maximum temperatures remained above "normal" in hills here.
"Minimum temperatures remained appreciably above normal to markedly above normal in plains and normal to appreciably above normal in hills of Uttarakhand. The highest maximum temperature of 26.9°C was recorded at Dhanauri (AWS) and the lowest minimum temperature 3.4°C was recorded at Ranichauri."
The MeT department advised the state government to make the necessary arrangements for road clearances at places with height 2,200 metres and above. Commuters or people travelling with vehicles were also cautioned to drive safely.
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the portals of the Badrinath Temple in Chamoli district, one of the Char Dham (four Hindu pilgrimage sites), has been closed for the winter since November 19, 2020.