The higher reaches of the hill state of Himachal Pradesh witnessed snowfall on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Met Office issued a 'yellow' alert for thunderstorms and lightning in some districts.
Isolated places in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti, and Chamba districts received snow.
According to the Met office, snowfall was recorded in the famous tourist resort towns of Narkanda and Kufri in Shimla district, Dalhousie in Chamba, and Manali and adjoining areas in Kullu.
There were also snowfall reports in parts of the Mandi district, including Seraj, Prashar, Shikari, and Kamrunag.
The snowfall kindled hope among hoteliers of an increase in tourist footfall.
Cheer among horticulturalists:
It also brought cheer among horticulturalists worried by a dry spell plaguing the state. Snow is considered good for apple cultivation.
However, the precipitation was insufficient to bring the dry spell to a complete stop.
The Met office said Kothi received 33 cm of snow, followed by Gondla (11 cm), Keylong (9 cm), Kukumseri (8.3 cm), Bharmour (8 cm), Manali (7.4 cm), Jot (6 cm), Kalpa (5.1 cm), and Shillaroo and Khadrala (5 cm each).
Shimla town received sleet while the adjoining areas of Jubbarhatti and Kufri received 8.3 cm and 4 cm of snow.
Saloni was the wettest place in the state, receiving 44.3 mm rainfall, followed by Kasol (30 mm), Karsog (24.3 mm), Bhuntar (21.4 mm), Jogindernagar (19 mm), Banjar (18.2 mm), Shimla (16.2 mm) and Gohar (16 mm).
Thunderstorms hit Shimla, Jubbarhatti, Kangra, Jot, Bhuntar, Palampur, and Sundernagar while shallow fog was observed in Bilaspur and Mandi.
The fresh snowfall has made roads slippery at several stretches and police in Lahaul and Spiti have asked commuters to avoid unnecessary travel.
The Met office has issued a 'yellow' warning for thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, and Solan on Wednesday.
Also read: HP's higher reaches receive mild snowfall; rain expected
It also cautioned of dense fog at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, and Mandi on Thursday and Friday.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from Saturday.
Tabo in tribal Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place, recording a minimum temperature of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius.
The state's rainfall deficit from January 1 to February 5 was at 73 per cent, with Himachal Pradesh receiving 26 mm of rain against a normal of 96.7 mm.
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