Avalanche warning issued in upper Himachal

SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh government Saturday issued an advisory to the people living in Lahaul and Spiti district not to venture out in the next two days due to chances of avalanches.

The meteorological office in Shimla has forecast chances of more rain and snowfall over the weekend.

There are chances of more rainfall and snowfall across the state for the next two days. Some higher reaches are likely to witness heavy snow, a spokesperson for the meteorological office told IANS.

He said the western disturbances - storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - would be active in the region.

He said most of the tourist places in the state like Narkanda, Manali and Dalhousie may witness moderate snowfall.

There would be a sharp fall in the day and night temperatures across the state in the next few days, he added.

Shimla was cloudy Saturday and recorded a low of 8.7 degrees Celsius. It saw a maximum temperature of 16.2 degrees Friday.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 6.4 degrees Celsius, whereas the maximum was 7.9 degrees.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded the mercury at the freezing point, while the low was 6.2 degrees at Bhuntar and 3.6 degrees at Dharamsala.