Shimla warmer than Chandigarh, Amritsar

Shimla/Chandigarh, Dec 28: It was another bone-chilling day on Monday and temperatures in many places in northern India plains like Chandigarh, Amritsar and Hisar remained colder than hilly tourist destination Shimla.

In the plains of Punjab, Amritsar was the coldest city in the region with the minimum at 3.6 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab saw lows of 10.1 and 9 degrees, respectively.

Chandigarh saw a low of 8.6 degrees Celsius, while in Haryana, Ambala (8.3) and Hisar (7.3) were in the grip of cold wave.

Hill stations across Himachal Pradesh saw another long sunny day and the temperatures in most places increased.

An official at the Shimla meteorological office told IANS there were chances of snowfall in high hills of the state on December 31.

He said the maximum temperature in the hill state have increased by two-three degrees, while the minimum one-two degrees since Sunday.

Shimla - located around 7,000 feet above sea level - and the areas close to it were 'warmer' compared to places in the neighbouring plains.

The Himachal Pradesh capital recorded a low of 8.7 degrees Celsius.

At 6.4 degrees Celsius each, Himachal's Dharamsala and Dalhousie were warmer than Amritsar. However, picturesque tourist resort Manali was chilly at 1.2 degrees.

"It's really pleasant to be in the hills. We are really enjoying mellow sunshine," said Saurabh Acharya, a tourist from Amritsar. "The chill in the plains is really horrible these days," his wife Nikita added.

IANS