WEATHER ALERT: Snowfall likely in Shimla, Manali, Kufri and Dalhousie till Saturday

Moderate to heavy snowfall is likely to occur in Himachal Pradesh from Thursday to Saturday i.e. 10th to 12th January. The government has warned residents as well as tourists to avoid higher regions. An advisory for the same has been issued to the high hills of Shimla, Sirmaur, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts as there are chances of heavy snowfall and landslides till 12th January, informed a government spokesperson.

The spokesperson said even the snow-bound regions near the tourist resort of Manali including Beas Kund, Nehru Kund, Solang, Gulaba and Marhi must be avoided. The administration in Kullu has also advised people to stay inside their homes to avoid any unpleasant incidents.

The weather office in Shimla has forecast more snowfall between 11th to 12th January. Hence people using vehicles are warned to be careful while driving on roads after heavy snowfall.

Important tourist places like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Kalpa, Manali and Dalhousie are likely to have light to moderate snowfall, Manmohan Singh, meteorological office director said.

Singh said western disturbances - storm systems emanated from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan area may be active in the region from the eve of 10th January and would remain active till 13th January.

Lower like Dharamsala, Solan, Mandi, Palampur, Nahan, Bilaspur and Hamirpur are expected to see extensive rain that will bring down the temperatures significantly.

On Thursday, Shimla recorded the minimum temperature at 3.7 degrees C, -5 degree in Kalpa, -2.6 degree in Manali, 1.2 degrees in Kufri, 3.2 degrees in Dalhousie and 4.2 degrees in Dharamsala.

Areas close to Shimla like Narkanda and Kufri and famous tourist resorts of Dalhousie and Manali are still covered in a thick blanket of snow.