Tourists flock to snow-bound Manali, Kufri

Shimla, Feb 20 (IANS) The picturesque tourist resorts of Manali and Kufri near Shimla Friday experienced more snow, triggering a rush of tourists.

According to the Met Office here, certain areas of Shimla such as the Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills received snowflakes.

Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius.

"We really enjoyed the snowfall," said Delhiite Aadil Sethi, who was in Kufri along with his friends.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kinnaur, Sirmaur and Shimla districts again experienced moderate to heavy snow," an official of the Met department told IANS.

While, Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti experienced 37 cm inches of snow, it was 36 cm in Kalpa in Kinnaur district. The towns recorded a low of minus 0.6 and minus 5.4 degrees respectively.

Manali registered 19 cm of snowfall and had a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees.

The entire Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar and Chopal experienced snow.

The majestic Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas surrounding Dharamsala wore a fresh blanket of snow.

Rain lashed the lower areas of the state such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, lowering temperatures.

Dharamsala recorded 16.6 mm of rain and the night temperature stayed at 6.8 degrees.

Seobagh, near Kullu town, got 77 mm of rain, state's highest.

The Met Office forecast said another western disturbance - storm systems originating in the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - would hit the region Feb 24-25, bringing more rain or snow.