More snow for Shimla, Manali

Shimla, December 19

Himachal Pradesh's popular tourist destinations of Shimla and Manali may get more snow this weekend, the weather office said on Friday.

A fresh western disturbance as an upper air system will hit western Himalayan region from December 21, said the weather office here, with chances of more rain and snow in the state.

It said chances of snow in and around Shimla and Manali are high. Both Shimla and Manali experienced snow December 13-14, the season's first.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest town in the state with a low of minus 8.9 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperatures in Shimla and Manali were 6.4 degrees and minus 2.6 degrees respectively.

Kalpa, some 250 km from Shimla, saw the night temperature at minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, while it was 4.8 degrees in Dharamsala and 7 degrees in Dalhousie.

A government spokesperson said connectivity on the Kullu-Manali National Highway 21, which remained snapped for days owing to heavy snowfall beyond Kullu town, has been restored.

But electricity, water supply and other services have not been restored in Kullu and Manali since December 13.

IANS