Sunday showers in Himachal bring cheers to tourists

A day after Himachal Pradesh experienced the hottest day of the season, showers Sunday morning brought cheers to thousands of 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 30.5 degrees Celsius Saturday.

Shimla and nearby areas Sunday saw moderate showers accompanied by hailstorm. "The entire state saw rain, bringing the temperature down considerably," a weatherman told IANS.

The picturesque tourist resort of Manali experienced mild rain but the Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), located 65 km from Manali, had snowflakes.

"What a pleasant relief in Shimla from the scorching heat," said Vipul Khullar, a tourist from Chandigarh.

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 Sunday and dry weather thereafter.