Fresh spell of snow in tribal areas and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh andShimla today led to a sharp fall in mercury in the region.
The tourists and local residents woke up to an unexpected snowfall, but came out to enjoy it, braving freezing cold wave conditions.
The adjoining resorts of Kufri, Wilflower Hall, Theog and Narkanda also received intermittent snowfall disrupting vehicular traffic in interior area of Shimla and Sirmaur districts.
Road communications to Rohroo, Chopal and other interior regions of Shimla and Haripurdhar and Nauradhar areas of Sirmaur were cut off due to snow, while Rampur-bound buses were being diverted via Basantpur and Kingal.
The sprawling Dhauladhar and Churdhar ranges in Kangra and Sirmaur, Rohtang Pass, Kunzum Pass and other high mountain ranges experienced intermittent snowfall since this morning.
Shimla recorded 5 cm of snow while Kufri, Theog and Narkanda had 8-15 cm of snow, while Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts received 20-30 cm of snow, hitting mobile and internet services in Lahaul valley.
In Shimla, the maximum temperature dropped to 3.3 degrees from 14.2 degrees yesterday while the minimum temperature dipped to 1.9 degrees.
Keylong and Kalpa recorded minimum temperatures at minus 5.6 degrees Celsius and minus 1 degree Celsius while Manali shivered at 1. 4 degrees, followed bySolan at 3.6 degrees, Dharamsala 6.4 degrees, Sundernagar 6.8 degrees, Sundernagar 6.9 degrees Nahan 7.2 degrees and Una at 7.4 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature dropped to 2 degrees at Kalpa, 5.6 degrees at Manali, 11.2 degrees at Bhuntar, 12.4 degrees at Nahan , 15.4 degrees at Dharamsala, Solan 15.4 degrees, Sundernagar 17.9 degrees and Una 23.8 degrees Celsisus.
The local MeT office has predicted rains or snow at many places in higher hills over the next five days and rains or snow in mid-hills tomorrowand again on February 16 and 17.
The snowfall, though moderate has brought cheers to apple- growers while the farmers in lower hills are praying for more rains as the rainfall so far had not been adequate.
