Himachal gets relief from snow, rain

Shimla, Jan 15 (IANS) After three consecutive days of snowfall and rain, Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday got some relief, but the cold continued to grip the hills, said an official. The meteorological office here said no major snow or rainfall has been reported in the state since Monday. Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti, was the coldest in the state with sub-zero eight degrees Celsius. Kalpa, 250 km from the capital, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, Manali minus 6 degrees, Dalhousie 1.7 degrees and Dharamsala recorded 2.2 degrees Celsius. Shimla saw a low of 4 degrees Celsius with partly cloudy skies. All buses for upper Shimla towns like Rohru, Theog, Kharapathar and Chopal, which were earlier suspended due to snowfall, are now plying normally, said an official. However, the Met Office has warned of more snow during the weekend. A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from January 18, said the weather office.
--IANS vg/ksk