Keylong at minus 17.6 deg C coldest place in Himachal

Most parts of Himachal Pradesh continued to reel under biting cold with tribal district Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong at minus 17.6 degrees Celsius recording the coldest night in 12 years on Thursday, the meteorological department said.

Meanwhile, Shimla MeT centre has issued a fresh orange warning of heavy rain, snowfall in the state on January 13 and 16.

Earlier, Keylong had experienced the coldest night on January 31, 2008 with a low of minus 18.4 degrees, the MeT centre director Manmohan Singh said here on Friday.

The weatherman said Shimla experienced the coldest night on Wednesday in 12 years with the mercury dipping to minus 3.7 degrees while Manali was the coldest in nine years with minimum temperature sinking to minus 7.8 degrees.

On January 24, 2008, the minimum in Shimla dropped to 4.4 degree while Manali recorded the lowest temperature at minus 8 degrees on January 17, 2011, he added.

Forecasting rain, snowfall in the state from January 11 to 17 due to two western disturbances, the MeT centre issued orange warning of heavy rain, snowfall on January 13 and 16. The weatherman said the first western disturbance will be active in the state from January 11 to 13, the other from January 14 to 16.

The colour-coded warnings are issued to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather, which has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption or danger to life".

Orange is for weathers that have the capacity to impact significantly.

Minimum temperatures in the state fell 3 to 4 degrees Celsius below normal. The minimum temperature in Manali of Kullu district was minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Kinnaur''s Kalpa at 6.4, Shimla at minus 1.3 and Palampur at minus 1 degrees Celsius. It was minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in Kufri.

The minimum temperature in Seobagh was minus 2.5 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar minus 2, Solan and Bhuntar minus 1.6 degrees Celsius each.

The minimum temperature in Dalhousie of Chamba district was 0.2 degrees Celsius.

Maximum temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius below normal. The highest temperature in the state was recorded in Sundernagar at 18.2 degrees Celsius.