Snowfall pulls down Himachal temperatures

Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday plummeted as high-altitude areas received mild spells of snow while other parts experienced rains.

"High hills in Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Chamba districts experienced light snowfall," a weather department official told IANS.

Shimla and its nearby areas like Kufri and Narkanda experienced mild rain. So did the picturesque tourist resort of Manali, which saw the temperature sliding to a low of 0.2 degrees Celsius.

It also snowed in the Rohtang Pass, just 52 km from Manali.

The minimum temperature in state capital Shimla was 7.4 degrees Celsius, whereas the maximum was 18.2 degrees Celsius. Dharamsala saw a low of 12.8 degrees Celsius.

Kalpa, 250 km from Shimla, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the night temperature at minus 1 degree and minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Keylong received 3 cm of snow.

The Met Office has forecast dry weather in the state till the weekend.