Himachal reels under intense cold wave

An intense cold wave tightened its grip on Himachal Pradesh Sunday with Keylong recording a freezing minus 10.6 degrees Celsius, though there was no fresh rain and snowfall across the state.

Popular tourist spots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Fagu, Kasauli, Dalhousie and Manali have been experiencing long sunny days for almost a week.

However, the night temperatures in most of the towns remained close to or below sub-zero.

State capital Shimla shivered at 1.9 degrees Celsius, a fall from Saturday's three degrees.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of minus 0.4 degree Celsius, while it was two degrees below the freezing point in Manali, 4.6 degrees Celsius in Dalhousie in Chamba district, and 4.2 degrees Celsius in Dharamsala, a Met department release said here.

Most of the high-altitude areas in the district experienced extremely cold conditions, with mercury remaining five to 10 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

Weather department officials, however, said the state would not see any snow or rain till the New Year's eve Dec 31.