Himachal Pradesh’s prominent tourist sites Shimla and Manali yesterday woke up to a blanket of fresh snow, turning the hill stations more picturesque. The minimum temperature recorded here was 0.1 degree Celsius.
Shimla saw a light spell of overnight snowfall, and nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda have experienced moderate snowfall, according to a weather official. Manali too received moderate snow.
Water in taps in residential areas located in Shimla’s US Club and Jakhu hills remained frozen throughout the day due to the extreme cold.
Likewise, the Solang ski slopes, 13km uphill from Manali, and Kalpa, 250km from here, also witnessed snow.
As news of the snowfall flashed across the plains, tourists started arriving in Shimla and Manali and the nearby hills.
Bharmour town in Chamba district was the coldest place with a minimum temperature at minus 13.1 degrees Celsius. It saw 10cm snow.
Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district saw a low of minus 8.7 degrees, while the minimum temperature was minus 4.4 degrees at Kalpa in Kinnaur district, minus 1.6 in Manali in Kullu district, and 5.4 in Dharamsala in Kangra district.
Shimla witnessed the season’s second snowfall, said the official. It last got snow on December 22.
The snow-clad Dhauladhar ranges, forming the backdrop of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association venue in Dharamsala, turned white.
“The higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Sirmaur, Mandi, Shimla and Chamba districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall for the past three days, while mid and lower hills were lashed with rain,” the official said.
The weatherman said there are chances of more rain and snow across the state in the next few days as western disturbances are active in the region.
Meanwhile, night temperatures remained below freezing point as cold wave conditions continued across the Kashmir Valley.
An official of the meteorological department said that rain and snow would occur at isolated places across Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
Most water bodies, including the Dal Lake in Srinagar and the Wullar Lake in north Kashmir, have partially frozen.
