Showers in Himachal cheer tourists

A day after Himachal Pradesh's state capital experienced the hottest day of the season, showers on Tuesday brought cheers to the tourists who have thronged the hill stations to escape the heat in the northern plains.

Shimla, situated at an altitude of 2,130 metres, recorded the maximum temperature at 24 degrees Celsius, a fall from Monday's 29.8 degrees, as it and nearby areas saw light to moderate showers.

"Most of the areas in the state saw cloudy skies throughout the day. At some places there were showers, bringing the temperature down considerably," a weather department official told IANS.

The picturesque tourist resorts of Kufri, Narkanda, Kasauli, Chail and Kalpa experienced mild rain.

"It's really a big relief in Shimla from the prevailing scorching heat in the plains," said Deepak Jaitley from Delhi.

Dharamsala recorded 29.2 degrees Celsius, a fall from Monday's 31.6.

Sundernagar in Mandi district recorded a maximum of 32.9 degrees Celsius, while it was 36 degrees in Una town and 19.8 degrees in Kalpa in Kinnaur district.

The Met office said there could be light to moderate rain or thundershowers in popular tourist resorts like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kasauli, Manali, Palampur, Chamba and Dalhousie till May 5 and dry weather thereafter.

--IANS

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