Winter is back? Fresh snowfall in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Fresh snowfall occurred in popular tourist resorts in Himachal Pradesh on Friday, pushing down the mercury by several notches.

Tourist spots near Shimla like Kufri, Fagu, Narkanda and Chail experienced moderate snowfall, turning the hill stations even more picturesque.

Manali and its nearby Solang ski slopes and Kalpa, 250 km from here, also witnessed heavy spells of snow, the weather office here said.

"High altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate snow since Tuesday," a Met official said.

Lower areas in Himachal Pradesh including Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, and Mandi towns, meanwhile, received moderate to heavy rains, bringing a considerable fall in temperature.

The fresh snowfall is expected to bring more tourists to the hilly state during the three-day weekend that ends with Holi on Monday.

The Met department's forecast said western disturbances -- storm systems originating in the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would remain active till Sunday.

(With IANS inputs)