Shimla receives season's first snowfall; brings cheer to tourists

Shimla, Dec 28: Himachal Pradesh's capital witnessed its first snowfall of the season on Sunday evening bringing cheer to the tourists who have come here to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

According to reports, the snowfall began at around 9:15 pm yesterday at Mall Road, Jakhu, Chhota Shimla and other popular areas of the city.

Following the heavy spell of snow, Shimla Police issued an advisory saying all roads in upper Shimla are blocked due to snowfall and roads in Shimla city are slippery.

It can be seen that the minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 4.7 degree Celsius and it is likely to dip further in the coming days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rain and snowfall in various parts of Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla, today.

According to the MeT department, Lahaul Spiti remains the coldest place in the state with minus 11.6 degree Celsius temperature while Keylong, Kalpa and Manali continued to shiver at sub-zero temperatures.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district and Manali in Kullu district recorded a low of minus 3.4 and minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. Meanwhile, Dalhouse recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius and Kufri 3.6 degrees.

Minimum temperatures in Mandi, Bhuntar, Sundernagar and Solan settled at minus 2, minus 1.6, minus 1.2 and minus 0.5 degrees Celsius, respectively. Kangra recorded the highest temperature in the state at 19.4 degrees Celsius.