Monsoon set to hit Himachal

Shimla : The weatherman has forecast heavy rainfall at many places across Himachal Pradesh in the next 72 hours with the monsoon set to arrive in the hill state in the next day or so .

Many parts of the state including the state capital Shimla were pounded by pre-monsoon showers Monday with thunder rumbling all evening .

The weather office said this year rainfall was deficient by 45 per cent in Himachal Pradesh in June with unusually high temperatures in the first half of the month.

Kinnaur , Chamba, Lahaul & Spiti, Sirmaur and Hamirpur districts had scanty rain. Kinnaur was deficient by a whopping 80 per cent.

Only Solan and Una districts received near normal rainfall in June the local meteorological department director Manmohan Singh said .