Fresh snowfall drapes Shimla in white

SHIMLA - Shimla, the resort destination of Himachal Pradesh, received the season’s fifth snowfall early Saturday, making the destination more picturesque.

While Shimla saw a light spell, nearby places like Kufri and Narkanda experienced moderate snowfall, according to a Met official. Manali also received moderate snow.

The snowfall froze the “Queen of Hills”, as Shimla was fondly called by the British. The town recorded 3.2 cm of snow Feb 24 but it melted within few hours due to high temperature.

“The higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Shimla and Chamba districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall since Friday, while mid and lower hills are experiencing rain,” the official said.

Kalpa, some 250 km from here, in Kinnaur district, and Dalhousie in Chamba district have also experienced snowfall.

The weatherman said there are chances of more rainfall and snowfall in the state till Saturday evening as western disturbances are active in the region.

“Even in Shimla and Manali, there might be one or two mild spells of snow late in the evening,” he added.

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp General Manager Yogesh Behl said: “We are hopeful that the snow will once again attract a good number of tourists this weekend.”

A government spokesperson said all the state-run buses were plying on normal routes and there was no report of any closure of highways due to snow.