Fresh snowfall in Shimla, Manali

Most of the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla, Manali and Kufri, received fresh snowfall, the meteorological department said on Tuesday.  The snowfall bought much cheer for tourists but around 100 roads have been blocked in the entire state due to the snow.

Men and machines of the public works department are on the job to clear the roads. Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong witnessed 15.3 cm snowfall between 5.30 pm Monday and 8.30 am Tuesday, followed by Kalpa in Kinnaur district 15.2 cm, Shimla 14 cm and Manali in Kullu district 8 cm, Shimla MeT Centre Director Manmohan Singh said.

This was the second snowfall of 2020 in Shimla and the third of the season. Besides Kothi (45 cm), Khadrala (17.5 cm), Pooh (10 cm), Gondla (8 cm) and Sarahan (4 cm) also experienced snowfall during the period, he added. Most of the other parts of the state received light to moderate rain.

Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie, Kufri, Keylong and Kalpa shivered at sub-zero temperatures.  The coldest place in the state was Keylong which settled at minus 7 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Kalpa was minus 3.4 degrees Celsius. Tourist destination Kufri recorded a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Manali (minus 1.6 degrees Celsius), Dalhousie (minus 0.9 degree Celsius) and Shimla (minus 0.1 degree Celsius).