Pleasant weather in Himachal hills, foggy in the plains!

The weather is pleasant in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, even as fog in the the northern plains is screening out the sun. In the hills the sun regularly shines these days.

The weather in hill destinations of Shimla, Kasauli, Chail, Kufri, Narkanda, Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali is 'warmer' and perfect for a break from the biting chill of the plains where the sun has largely been fogged out.

"What a sunny weather in Shimla these days. We are really enjoying basking in the sun for hours," said Nitin Malhotra, a tourist from Delhi.

"The days are pleasant in the hills compared to the plains which shivers down your spine," his wife Rakhi added.

"We are marketing the concept of relaxing and basking under the sun in the hills when fog is engulfing the plains," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) deputy general manager Vijay Sharma told IANS.

Manmohan Singh, director of Shimla's meteorological department, said most of the hill destinations have a pleasant weather owing to long sunny days compared to the plains.

"The maximum temperature in the hills is two-three degrees above average compared to the plains due to long sunny days," he said.

The humidity level of plus 80 percent causes fog. In the plains, he said, it is more than 80 percent. However, in the hills it's around 50 percent these days.

Singh said the sunny weather conditions would continue in the hills till January 27.

In Shimla, located around 7,000 feet above sea level, the maximum temperature on Thursday was 11.2 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above season's average.

In Chandigarh, where French President Francois Hollande will start his India's visit on January 24, the maximum temperature was 0.2 degree Celsius less than Shimla's.

The Met office in Chandigarh predicted foggy conditions to continue in the city till Sunday.

The prevailing maximum temperature in Chandigarh is eight to nine degrees below season's average.

It said moderate to dense fog was likely to continue at a few places in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Thursday's maximum temperature was 11.5 degrees Celsius in Punjab's Amritsar and 10.3 degrees in Ambala town of Haryana.

In Delhi the maximum temperature settled at 17.3 degree Celsius, four notches below the season's average.

The city was engulfed by dense fog with the visibility slumping to 200 metre and the humidity at 8.30 a.m. was recorded at 97 percent, according to the weather office.

However, night temperatures are a little lower in the hills than the plains.

Friday's minimum temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius in Shimla, 5.2 degrees in Dharamsala and minus 3.6 degrees Celsius in Manali.