More snow in store for Himachal this weekend: Met Office

Shimla: If you missed an opportunity to witness the snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, wait for a day more as the Met Office here on Friday has forecast chances of more snowfall in the state this weekend.

However, the state saw a marginal rise in the temperatures due to long sunny conditions.

"There are chances of more rainfall and snowfall in the state from the night of February 3," a Met department official said.

He said the western disturbances -- storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would remain active again in the region till February 5.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Manali and Dalhousie, located in mid-hills, may witness more snowfall, he said.

Shimla already received the season's first snowfall on February 1. Another picturesque town Manali, some 250 km from Shimla, also experienced snow on that day.

Samdoh in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest place in the state on Friday with a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.

Shimla recorded the minimum temperature at 4.3 degrees Celsius. Thousands of holidaymakers have reached Himachal Pradesh to enjoy the snow and their footfalls are likely to spike this weekend, say members of the hospitality industry.

Snow is a big draw for tourists, especially from the plains of northern India.

"We are planning to travel to Shimla to witness the snowy landscape," corporate executive Deepak Goyal from Chandigarh told IANS.

The mountain peaks viewed from Shimla's historic Ridge have been wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow.

Popular resort Manali and Shimla, and nearby destinations Kufri and Narkanda are getting a good share of tourists as the hills there have plenty of snowy landscape.