Shimla gets season's first snow

Shimla, Dec 14 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla Friday woke up to a white sheet of snow, turning the hill station more picturesque. The minimum temperature recorded at the freezing point.

The state capital saw a light spell of snow, the season's first, while nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda experienced moderate snowfall, according to the Met office here.

Another popular tourist resort, Manali in Kullu district, also was wrapped in a white blanket. Manali, which saw a low of minus one degree Celsius, received 20 cm snow.

Shimla's commercial centre Mall Road, the historic Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills received snowfall, while lower areas of the town experienced rain. However, the snow flakes melted within a few hours.

But Kufri and Narkanda have good snow accumulation.

Kalpa, 250 km from Shimla in Kinnaur district, had eight cm of snow, while Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district recorded 12 cm of snow.

Dharamsala, which saw 38 mm of rain, recorded a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius.

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

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation general manager Yogesh Behl said: "This weekend is likely to see a good number of tourists in Shimla and Manali."

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

There are chances of more rainfall and snowfall in the state as western disturbances will be active in the region till Dec 16, he added.