Mercury dips with snow in Himachal

The temperatures across Himachal Pradesh Thursday plummetted sharply, with high-altitude areas getting mild spells of snow while other parts are experiencing rains.

"High hills in Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Chamba districts have been experiencing light snowfall since Thursday morning," said a weather department official.

Shimla and its nearby areas like Kufri and Narkanda have been experiencing moderate rains. So has been the picturesque tourist resort Manali, which saw the temperature sliding to a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius.

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

The minimum temperature in the state capital plunged by four degrees. It recorded 7.6 degrees Celsius Thursday, whereas the low on Wednesday was 11.5 degrees.

Kalpa, 250 km from Shimla, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the night temperature at 1.6 degrees and 2.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Met Office has forecast snow and rain across the state due to active western disturbance till Friday. Western disturbance is a term used for a storm system that generates in the Mediterranean and brings rain or snow in the northwerstern parts of the Indian subcontinent.