Hills near Manali get snowfall

Shimla, Feb 7 (IANS) Nearby hills of Himachal Pradesh’s popular tourist destination Manali received snowfall on Sunday, turning them more picturesque. However, the state capital remained devoid of snowfall.

Hills overlooking Manali like Gulaba, Solang and Kothi have been experiencing moderate snow since early Sunday.

Shimla and places like Kufri and Mashobra experienced rain, according to a Met official here.

Shimla saw a minimum temperature of three degrees Celsius, while it was one degree in Manali and 9.9 degrees in Dalhousie in Chamba district.

"The higher reaches of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Chamba districts have been experiencing snowfall since Saturday night while mid and lower hills are experiencing rain," the official said.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti have also experienced snowfall.

Dharamsala in Kangra district, which experienced 47.2 mm rain, recorded a low of 6.2 degrees Celsius.

The Met department said a Western disturbance — a storm system originating from the Mediterranean-Caspian Sea region and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region — would remain active till Tuesday.