Shimla, Manali wrapped in white blanket again

Himanchal Pradesh's prominent tourist sites Shimla and Manali Saturday woke up to a blanket of fresh snow, turning the hill stations more picturesque. The minimum temperature recorded here was 0.1 degree Celsius.

While Shimla saw a light spell of overnight snowfall, nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda have experienced moderate snowfall, according to a Met official. Manali too received moderate snow.

Water in taps in residential areas located in Shimla's US Club and Jakhu hills remained frozen throughout the day due to the extreme cold.

Likewise, the Solang ski slopes, 13 km uphill from Manali, and Kalpa, 250 km from here, also witnessed snow.

As news of the snowfall flashed across the plains, tourists started arriving at Shimla and Manali and the nearby hills.

Bharmour town in Chamba district was the coldest place with minimum temperature at minus 13.1 degrees Celsius. It saw 10 cm snow.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district saw a low of minus 8.7 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was minus 4.4 degrees at Kalpa in Kinnaur district, minus 1.6 degrees in Manali in Kullu district, and 5.4 degrees in Dharamsala in Kangra district.

Shimla witnessed season's second snowfall, said the official. It last got snow Dec 22.

The snow-clad Dhauladhar ranges, forming the backdrop of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association venue in Dharamsala, turned more white.

"The higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Sirmaur, Mandi, Shimla and Chamba districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall for the past three days, while mid and lower hills were lashed with rain," the official said.

The weatherman said there are chances of more rainfall and snowfall across the state in the next few days as western disturbances are active in the region.