Shimla gets season's first snowfall

Shimla: After much delay, the Himachal Pradesh capital on Friday experienced the season's first snowfall, leading to a surge of tourists to enjoy the snow-covered landscape.

The snowfall has also brought cheers to hoteliers who are expecting a brisk business duirng the weekend.

"High hills in Shimla town and its nearby areas have experienced snowfall and this was the season's first snowfall in Shimla," an official of the Meteorological Department here told IANS.

Places near to Shimla like Kufri and Narkanda have experienced moderate snowfall, turning the tourist destinations more picturesque.

As news of the snowfall spread, tourists flocked to Shimla, known for the imperial grandeur of its buildings that were once institutions of power when the town served as the summer capital of British India.

"We witnessed the snowfall for the first time. We were awaiting the snowfall for the past many days," said Ridhma Kashyap, a tourist from Chandigarh, who was in Shimla along with her friends.

The snowy landscape in Shimla, which recorded a low of 1.4 degrees Celsius, would stay for a day, an official of the Met Office said.

Reports said areas in Shimla districts like apple belt Jubbal and Kharapathar experienced snow.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate snow," the official said.

Manali, which recorded a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius, saw 4 cm snow. The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in the Kangra valley got a fresh blanket of snow cover.

Kalpa, some 250 km from the state capital and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district experienced snow. These towns saw the night temperature fall to minus 2.6 degrees and minus 6.3 degree Celsius, respectively.

Lower areas of the state like Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received rain, pushing down the temperature considerably.

The Met Office has forecast that scattered rain or snow is likely in the state till Saturday.

After the opening of the skies, the minimum temperature across the state could plummet by three to four notches, the weatherman added.