Tourists flock to Shimla, enjoy snowfall

Shimla, Feb 19 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh capital on Tuesday received snowfall, leading to a surge in tourist footfalls as the visitors flocked to enjoy the snow-covered landscape.

"Shimla and its nearby areas have been experiencing snowfall since early (Tuesday) morning," an official of the Meteorological Department here told IANS.

Places near Shimla like Kufri and Narkanda have been experiencing snowfall, turning the tourist spots more picturesque. "High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate snow," the official said.

As news of the snowfall spread, tourists flocked to Shimla, known for its imperial grandeur of buildings that were once institutions of power when the town served as the summer capital of British India.

"It's really a delight to see snowfall," said Nikita Khullar, a tourist from Delhi, who was in Shimla along with her friends.

Shimla, which saw a low of 0.5 degree Celsius, recorded 7 cm of snowfall, while Kufri, Mashobra and Narkanda recorded moderate snowfall.

The snowy landscape in Shimla would stay for a day, a Met official said.

Reports said some of the areas in the apple belt Jubbal and Kharapathar also experienced snow.

Manali, which saw 22 mm rain, experienced a low of 0.8 degree Celsius, while it was 3.8 degrees in Dharamsala, which saw 40.4 mm rain.

Picturesque Dalhousie in Chamba district recorded 25 cm of snow.

The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in the Kangra Valley got a fresh blanket of snow.

Kalpa, some 250 km from here, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district also experienced snow. These towns saw the night temperature fall to minus 3.4 degrees and minus 8.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Lower areas of the state like Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received rain, bringing down the temperature considerably.

The Met Office has forecast scattered rain or snow in the state till Thursday.