Himachal reels under severe cold after snow

Shimla : Majority of Himachal Pradesh reeled under severe cold on Saturday, with the minimum temperature staying below freezing point owing to this week's snow and rainfall, weather officials said.

The state capital Shimla, with the night temperature at 6.5 degrees Celsius, saw sunny weather.

Popular destination Manali, which saw snow, recorded a low of minus 0.6 degrees.

According to a Met department official here, Shimla's nearby tourist spots like Kufri and Narkanda still has snow accumulation.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state with a low of minus six degrees.

It was minus 1 degree in Kalpa, some 250 km from here, while Dharamsala saw a low of 8.2 degrees and Dalhousie 6.2 degrees.

Tourism industry representatives are also happy after the snowfall at the popular destinations.

"There is a sudden spike in arrival of tourists in Manali after the snowfall on November 15," travel agent M.C. Thakur told IANS.

The snowy landscape in Manali and nearby hills like Solang and Gulaba will stay this way for about two-three more days, he added.