Shimla, Himachal Pradesh’s capital experienced snowfall on Sunday while the State’s higher reaches received snow overnight intensifying cold wave conditions in the region.
There are chances of more rain and snow in the state till Wednesday, said officials of Meteorological Department.
Manali in Kullu district received 9 cm snow from 5.30 pm on Saturday to 8.30 am on Sunday, whereas tribal districts Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong and Kinnaur's Kalpa received 13 cm snowfall each during the period, according to the Met Department.
Narkanda, Kufri and Shimla also received light snow. Even Dalhousie in Chamba district and McLeodganj, the abode of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Kangra district, had snowfall.
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.
The state capital witnessed snowfall for the first time this year, from 10.45 am till 3 pm. Shimla residents shivered as icy winds brought down the minimum temperature to 1.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum stayed at 3.7 degrees, a fall by 4.9 degrees from Saturday's.
The snowfall caused the mercury to dip, with Keylong, Kalpa, Kufri, Dalhousie and Manali reeling under sub-zero temperatures. Keylong continued to be the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of minus 8.7 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature in Kalpa was minus 3.7 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Kufri was minus 3 degrees Celsius, it was minus 1.6 degrees Celsius in Dalhousie and minus 1.2 degrees Celsius in Manali during the period.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a warning of heavy snowfall, rain and hailstorm in Himachal Pradesh till January 6. It has also predicted snowfall and rain in some places of the state on Tuesday and Wednesday due to western disturbances.