Shimla gets sleet, mercury plummets

Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla and its nearby hills on Friday witnessed sleet, pushing down the mercury by several notches.

"Shimla and its nearby areas received sleet along with mild rain that started in the afternoon," an official at the meteorological office here told IANS.

Nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda experienced mild snowfall, he said.

Shimla, which saw 5 cm snow on Thursday, recorded a low of 3.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was 9.4 degrees.

"High altitude areas in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Chamba districts witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 24 hours," a weatherman said.

Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti, was the coldest at a minimum temperature of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of minus one degree Celsius, while the temperature was 6.4 degrees in Dharamsala, 1.7 degrees in Dalhousie and 1.4 degrees in Manali.

According to the weather office, western disturbances will be active again on January 11, resulting in more snowfall and rains.