A day after snowfall in upper Himachal Pradesh, large parts of the State reeled under severe cold on Monday, with the minimum temperature staying below freezing point.
Shimla, which saw a snow of 4.8 cm on Sunday had a sunny day on Monday but the night temperature was at 1.8°C. Popular destination Manali, which saw 12 cm snow, recorded a low of minus 2°C. Shimla’s nearby tourist spots like Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda also experienced moderate spells of snowfall Other picturesque tourist centre Dalhousie in Chamba district also experienced snow.
“High-altitude areas of lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have experienced moderate to heavy snow,” the official said. In Chandigarh, the Meteorological Department has forecast overcast conditions in the region in next 24 hours. “Party cloudy sky would be witnessed in Chandigarh and many parts of Punjab and Haryana. The minimum temperature levels would plunge by two to three degree Celsius while fog would continue to occur in some parts of the region in next 24 hours,” predicted a MeT Department official.
Several parts of the region had received light to moderate rainfall on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Severe cold conditions continued to sweep the city and neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. The maximum temperature has plunged below normal levels across the region. Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 8.1 degree Celsius while the maximum temperature recorded was 18.8 degree Celsius, two degrees below normal.
Ambala and Bhiwani in Haryana recorded respective minimum temperature of 8.9 degrees and 10 degree Celsius. Among other places, Hissar, Karnal and Narnaul recorded respective minimum temperature of 8.1 degree Celsius, 10.4 degree Celsius and 10degree Celsius. In Punjab, the industrial city of ludhiana recorded a low of 9.2 degrees Celsius, Patiala recorded 10.8 degree Celsius and Amritsar settled at a low of 7 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature in Amritsar was 18.2 degree Celsius, two notches below normal.