Thaindian News

Shimla, Jan 10 (IANS) Days after moderate to heavy snowfall across the hills of Himachal Pradesh, the state saw a bright, sunny day Tuesday.

State capital Shimla, which saw 0.8 cm of snow till Tuesday morning, saw a night temperature of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius while the maximum was 7.8 degrees.

Shimla recorded 24.6 cm of snow Monday while other parts of Shimla district, especially the upper reaches, experienced heavy snowfall.

Due to slippery roads and pathways owing to recent snow, six tourists were injured and reported in Shimla hospitals Tuesday, the police said.

Popular tourist spots near Shimla like Kufri and Narkanda also saw good spells of snow.

The picturesque tourist resort of Manali in Kullu district saw a low of minus 7 degrees Celsius early Tuesday, the season’s lowest. Manali’s night temperature fell by 5.6 degrees from Monday’s minus 1.4 degrees. “It was for the first time that the night temperature of Manali nose-dived so massively,” a weather official here said.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district saw the night temperature at minus 9.3 degrees Celsius, while it was 2.1 degrees in Dharamsala. Kalpa, which saw 3 cm of snow, recorded a low of minus 4.5 degrees Monday.

Chamba district was the most affected besides some areas of Shimla district that saw heavy snowfall, accompanied by blizzards, early Monday.

An official statement said all buses for Delhi were plying normally from Shimla. But buses for upper Shimla towns like Rohru, Theog and Chopal are not plying due to heavy snowfall.

For Rampur and Kinnaur, buses were plying via Dhami and Basantpur.

Vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway has also been restored.

The Met office here warned that the state is in line for more snow this weekend. According to the Met office, a fresh western disturbance as an upper air system is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from Jan 14.

Taking stock of the situation arising due to the recent heavy snowfall, Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu Tuesday directed the authorities to brace for approaching western disturbances in the region Jan 14 onwards.

A government spokesperson has advised tourists not to venture into remote areas of the state as chances of heavy snow and snowstorms were high these days.