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Shimla gets an early snowfall

Photo: PTI

A tourist couple enjoying season’s first snowfall in Shimla on Monday.

SHIMLA: The Capital town of Shimla and its adjoining tourist resorts of Naldehra, Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda received the first snowfall of the season on Monday, much before the expected deadline of Christmas, said the Met office here. The early December snowfall comes almost after 10 years.

The mild snow flakes, which began at about 7 a.m., continued for at least three hours but melted away soon after even as the tree tops in Jakhu Hill, overlooking the Shimla town, wore a thin blanket of white.

Shimla Meteorological Department Director Manmohan Singh attributed the snowfall to western disturbance, and said it would bring light to moderate rain and snow in the State during the next 72 hours. He said the tourist resort had experienced 31 cm of snowfall 10 years ago on December 1, 1997. The State Capital’s minimum temperature fell to 0.7 degree Celsius from Sunday’s low of 4.1 degrees Celsius.

Piercing cold wave conditions are prevailing in the entire State following the snowfall.

The met office said the adjoining tourist place of Kufri, about 16 km from here, recorded four to five cm of snow, Narkanda 10 to 11 cm and Khara Pather 15 cm since Monday morning, while light rains lashed the famous tourist resort of Manali in Kullu district. Rohtang Pass, situated at about 13,050 feet, has recorded about one feet of snowfall since Sunday, while overcast conditions are prevailing in the lower areas of Kullu district.

Bhuntar in Kullu district also experienced about 2.1 cm of snowfall since morning. The higher altitude areas of the tribal districts of Kinnuar, Lahaul Spiti and Chamba also experienced more snow for the second day, registering a sharp fall in the temperatures.

Reports of snowfall have been received from Saach and Kugti Passes and Mahalwar mountain ranges.

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