Shimla, Manali receive more snow

Shimla, March 2 (IANS) The picturesque tourist resorts of Shimla and Manali received more snow on Monday as the temperatures remained below the freezing point at most places in Himachal Pradesh, a weather official said.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district was the coldest in the state with a low of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius. It received 65cm of snow since Sunday, a weather department official here told IANS.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district and Manali recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.1 and 0.8 degrees Celsius respectively.

Keylong town received 61cm of snow, and Manali recorded 6cm of snow and 54.4mm of rain.

The high hills in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Shimla and Chamba districts have also been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall, said the official.

The state capital saw a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius with 5cm of snow and 43.5mm of rain. Dharamsala town received 58.2mm of rain.

The met department said western disturbances - a storm system originating from the Mediterranean-Caspian Sea region and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - would be active again in the region till Tuesday and could lead to heavy snow and rain.