Avoid travelling as snow may block Himachal roads

Shimla, Jan 2: Moderate to heavy snowfall may occur across Himachal Pradesh in the next one-two days, the Met Office said on Wednesday. Residents and tourists have been advised not to venture in the high hills as snapping of road links are high. The supply of essential commodities and transportation of people may get hampered in remote areas of the state, a government official told IANS. Hills of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Sirmaur, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts are likely to experience moderate to heavy snowfall from January 4-6, an official of the meteorological office here told IANS. He said the western disturbances -- storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- are likely to remain active in the region till January 9. Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Dalhousie and Manali are likely to have light to moderate spells of snowfall, he added. Kalpa in Kinnaur district saw mild snowfall. It recorded a low of minus 3.4 degree Celsius. Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 4.6 degree. Shimla recorded the minimum temperature at 3.7 degrees Celsius, while it was 0.6 degree in Manali and 2.8 degrees in Dharamsala.