Snow intensifies cold in Himachal

Shimla, Oct 11 (IANS) A fresh spell of snow in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh intensified the cold on Thursday bringing down temperatures to sub-zero in the Lahaul-Spiti region.

Temperature in many places remained near the freezing point, a Meteorological Department official here told IANS.

There were scattered drizzles in the state capital which saw a low of 11.3 degrees Celsius, while Kalpa, some 250 km from here, experienced a low of four degrees and Manali 6.6 degrees Celsius.

Keylong, headquarters of the Lahaul-Spiti district, witnessed snow and recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.1 degree Celsius.

The high hills in Kinnaur, Kullu and Chamba districts have been experiencing light snowfall as well, said a Met official.

Traffic bound for the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul from picturesque tourist Manali, has been restricted beyond the Gulaba barrier owing to snowfall, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Lower areas, including Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received moderate rains, bringing down the temperature considerably.

Dharamsala received the highest rainfall at 21.6 mm.