Not only X-mas, Himachal to miss snowfall on new year''s eve too

Shimla, December 25

The sun is shining brightly in Himachal Pradesh these days and dry conditions is likely to prevail till the New Year dawns, the weather bureau said on Tuesday.

There will be largely no chance of snowfall till December 31. Thereafter, the western disturbance is likely to be active in the state on January 3 with chances of rain and snow, Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological Department, told IANS.

Hill destinations have been experiencing long hours of sunny weather for over a fortnight and the day temperatures in most places have risen.

The maximum temperature in the hill state is one-two degrees above the season's average.

Though nights and mornings are intensely cold. The weather in Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Chail, Kasauli, Dharamsala, Palampur, Dalhousie and Manali is "warmer" in the day, perfect for a break from the biting chill of the plains.

"What a pleasant sun in Shimla, a perfect break from the fog in Delhi," remarked tourist Akhlesh Dubey.

"We came here hoping to witness snowfall but the days are too warm here and we are enjoying basking in the sun," his wife Pragya added.

In Shimla, located around 7,000 feet above sea level, the minimum temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

Dharamsala was at 4.2 degrees Celsius, Manali was at minus 3.2 and Dalhousie at 1.1 degrees.

At minus 9.4 degrees, Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state, followed by Kalpa, some 250 km from the state capital, with a low minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.

Members of the hospitality industry say it's not just snow but the sun that is too attracting the tourists.

"In this season most of the tourists prefer the sun that is rarely visible in the plains these days due to fog," DP Bhatia, liaison officer with Shimla-based Oberoi Group of hotels, told IANS.

The popular tourist resorts Kufri, some 13 km from the state capital, Narkanda, some 65 km from here, are largely bereft of the previous snow.

However, nearby hills of Manali have accumulation of snow cover.

Shimla, known for the imperial grandeur of buildings that were once institutions of power when it was the summer capital of British India, received season's first snow on December 12 and, thereafter, there was no snow. IANS