Monsoon advances to Himachal

Shimla, July 1 (IANS) The south-west monsoon has advanced to Himachal Pradesh with many areas witnessing moderate to heavy rainfall since Monday, the Met office said here Tuesday.

"Heavy rainfall may occur at some places in low and mid hills of the state Wednesday," the meteorological department said in a statement.

Bangana town in Una district got 88 mm rainfall till 8.30 a.m. Tuesday, the highest in the state, while Nadaun in Hamirpur district and Rajgarh in Sirmaur district recorded 78 mm and 74 mm rain, respectively.

State capital Shimla received 54.9 mm rain, while Dharamsala received just 6.6 mm rain.

The monsoon normally hits the state by June 27.

Last year, the monsoon reached the state June 15 and rainfall during that season was seven percent less.