Manali gets season’s first snowfall

Shimla, Jan 6 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh's popular tourist resort Manali on Friday received season's first snowfall, making it more picturesque, a weather official said. State capital Shimla also saw snow in the evening.

Manali, which saw a low of 0.6 degree, got mild snow while its nearby Solang ski slopes and Kothi were covered with adequate snow.

The temperatures remained below freezing point in many places in the state after snow and widespread rain mainly in Kangra district, a meteorological department official told IANS.

The picturesque resort Kothi, some 15 km uphill from Manali, recorded 7.5 cm of snow.

Tourist spots Shimla and its nearby spots such as honeymooners' paradise Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda experienced mild snowfall, turning the hill stations even more picturesque.

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

Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, was the coldest in the state with minus 5.9 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature recorded in Shimla was 4.9 degrees Celsius.

Kalpa, around 250 km from here, saw a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, while it was nine degrees in Dharamsala.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snow," said the official.

Peaks overlooking other popular tourist resorts like Kalpa, Sangla, Dharamsala and Palampur have also got more snow.

Rain lashed lower areas of the state such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Bilaspur and Hamirpur, pulling down temperatures.

The weatherman predicted more rain and snow till Sunday as the western disturbances would remain active in the region.