Winter has barely ended but a few places in Himachal Pradesh have already started experiencing heatwave, with the deviation from normal temperature being in the range of 10°C to nearly 15°C.The maximum temperature has shot past 30°Celsius at a few places. If the dry weather continues for the next few days, several hill stations could breach their past record temperatures for March.Places like Shimla, Kangra, Sundernagar, Kalpa and Bhuntar are just one to 2°C away from their highest-ever temperature for the month.Kalpa, for instance, logged a high of 24°C today, which is 14.8°C higher than normal. The small town in Kinnaur district had logged its previous highest-ever temperature of 24.4°C for March in 2010.Shimla touched 25.2°C today, not too far behind the record of 27.2°C for the month logged in 2004. Incidentally, Shimla had not touched the 20°C mark in the first week of March over the past five years.The lower areas of the state such as Sundernagar and Kangra are also recording temperatures that are eight to 9°C above normal. The highest deviation from normal temperature is being recorded in the mid and high hills.“We are witnessing appreciably high temperatures, especially in the mid and higher hills, over the last few days. High temperatures are likely to continue for at least the next 48 hours,” said an official from the weather department. According to him, the current wind pattern over the region is the major reason behind the spike in temperature. “In the absence of moisture-laden winds, temperatures rise,” he said.Along with maximum temperature, minimum temperature, too, is soaring. Shimla, for instance, recorded a minimum temperature of 15.4°C, which is 9.3°C above normal.High temperature, coupled with dry spell, can cause problems for apple growers, especially in lower altitude.There’s a forecast for rain in some parts of the state from March 7 onwards. If the forecast holds true, the temperature is likely to dip slightly.