White Christmas in Himachal Pradesh

dynamitenews.com 
Shimla/ 25 December 2016. It was a white Christmas in Shimla this year, as the popular hill retreat received snowfall on December 25 after more than two decades.

Around 9am on Sunday, snowfall started in the popular tourist destination as well as in Kufri and Narkanda, leaving tourists elated.

The morning was wet, with light drizzles since 6am bringing the mercury down. In the last 24 hours, the night temperature in Shimla plunged by 4 degrees Celsius. There was no forecast of snowfall though.

Shimla on Sunday witnessed the season’s first snowfall as tourists flocking to the holiday destination were welcomed by sleet that quickly morphed itself into snow. 

It, however, did not diminish the festive spirit as many were seen clicking pictures of the snowfall. 

The heavy snowfall affected vehicular movement on National Highway 5.

On Saturday, the Meteorological Department predicted that most of the tourist destinations across Himachal Pradesh will experience mellow sunshine with long sunny days greeting the visitors till December 29.

Temperatures have been recorded above the average in popular tourist spots like Shimla, Narkanda, Kasauli, Manali, Dalhousie and Chamba owing to prevailing dry weather.

“The minimum temperature is above average these days across the state.

 A feeble western disturbance is approaching the region and its impact could be seen in high hills till Sunday. So there are chances of rain or snow at isolated places in inaccessible areas,” Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office said.

The minimum temperature was 7.7 degrees Celsius, which is relatively high, in Shimla on Saturday, he said.