Himachal may get heavy rain, thundershowers

After days of dry weather and rising mercury, the hills of Himachal Pradesh might experience heavy rain accompanied by hailstorm in the next two days, the Met department said on Saturday.

It said western disturbance - a storm system originating from the Mediterranean-Caspian Sea region and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - would be active in the region on March 29 and 30 with chances of heavy rain and thundershowers at some places in the state.

Shimla recorded minimum temperature at 13.4 degrees Celsius, while the maximum stayed at 24.1 degrees, an official of the Met department told IANS.

Picturesque tourist resort Manali saw a low of 7 degrees Celsius, while the maximum stayed at 24.2 degrees.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts might experience moderate snow in the next two days," the official said.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of 2.6 degrees Celsius while the temperature was 15.4 degrees in Dharamsala. These towns recorded the maximum temperature at 22.8 degrees and 27.8 degrees respectively.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state at a low of minus 1 degree.