After a bright and sunny start to the day, Shimla witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall Thursday afternoon as monsoon activity intensified across several parts of Himachal Pradesh. The weather remained clear with bright sunshine from the morning until around 11.30 am in Shimla. However, clouds gathered soon after noon, and moderate to heavy rain lashed the town and its surrounding areas from around 1.30 pm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Shimla, had issued a weather warning forecasting moderate to heavy rainfall at isolated places in Shimla district on Thursday. Heavy to moderate rain was also forecast for isolated areas of Bilaspur, Kangra, Solan and Sirmaur districts, while Kullu and Kinnaur were expected to receive moderate rainfall.