Cold revives in Himachal with snow, rain

Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh plummeted sharply on Friday with the high-altitude areas getting mild spells of snow while there was rainfall in many parts of the state.

"High hills in Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla, and Chamba districts have experienced snowfall," a weather department official told IANS.

Shimla and its nearby areas, like Kufri and Narkanda, experienced moderate rain. So did the picturesque tourist resort Manali, which saw 20 mm rain.

The Rohtang Pass, just 52 km from Manali, experienced snowfall.

The minimum temperature in the state capital plunged by three degrees. It recorded 6.5 degrees Celsius, while it was 3.6 degrees Celsius in Kufri.

Kalpa, 250 km from Shimla, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the night temperature at minus 3.6 degrees and 8.5 degrees Celsius, respectively. Both Kalpa and Keylong saw 11 cm snowfall each.

The Met Office has forecast more snow and rain across the state due to an active western disturbance till Saturday.

Western disturbance is a term used for a storm system that generates in the Mediterranean and brings rain or snow in the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

--IANS

vg/and/bg