Shimla sees season's heaviest snowfall

The Himachal Pradesh capital on Sunday witnessed the season's heaviest snowfall, which snapped road links but tourists made merry by hurling snowballs at one another.

"Shimla and its nearby areas have been experiencing snowfall since Saturday evening," an official of the meteorological department here told IANS.

Nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda also experienced snowfall, making the destinations more picturesque.

As news of the snowfall spread, tourists flocked to this resort destination, 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 have been enjoying snowfall," said Neha Gupta, a tourist from Chandigarh, who was in Shimla along with her friends.

Shimla, which saw a low of minus 0.3 degree Celsius, recorded more than 20 cm of snowfall, while Kufri recorded 62 cm of snowfall.

The snowy landscape in Shimla will stay this way for two-three days, an official of the Met Office said.

Reports said most of the upper areas in Shimla district like Jubbal, Narkanda and Kharapathar experienced moderate to heavy snow.

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

Picturesque tourist resort Manali experienced 8 cm snowfall, while Dalhousie in Chamba district saw 62 cm snowfall.

Kalpa, 250 km from the state capital, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district experienced snow. These towns saw the night temperature fall to minus 2.4 degrees and minus 6.6 degrees Celsius.

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

The MeT Office has forecast more rain and snow in the state till Monday.