Shimla, Manali Turn Winter Wonderlands As The Hill Stations Receive Snowfall
Ending the prolonged dry spell, many parts of Himachal Pradesh including the capital Shimla and Manali have received this season's first snowfall.
The districts of Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, and Shimla experienced fresh snowfall, on Thursday while higher reaches in Sirmaur, Kangra, and Mandi districts have also received a new layer of snow.
Heavy snowfall in Shimla
Shimla was wrapped in a thin blanket of snow on Thursday while the 5-km stretch between Kufri and Fagu was entirely covered in snow. Braving the cold, tourists and residents thronged the Mall Road and Ridge in the heart of the city to enjoy the snow.
Shimla was lashed by a severe hailstorm on Wednesday night followed by intermittent rains.
Hills covered in snow
The famous tourist destinations of Narkanda, Kufri, Shimla, Manali, Rohtang, Sangla, Dalhousie and Khajjiar are also receiving snowfall.
Chidgaon in Shimla district recorded 75-cm deep snow followed by Shikari Mata receiving 60 cm snow, Kothi 50 cm, Chanshel and Kamru Nag 45 cm each, Manali 37 cm, Keylong 32 cm, Bada Bangal and Prashar Lake 30 cm, Tindi, Pangi, Jot and Nauradhar 25 cm each, Kukumseri 18.4 cm, Koksar 16.2 cm, Khadrala 16 cm and Shillaroo 15 cm.
First snowfall in Himachal?
The upper reaches of Himachal including Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Shimla districts had received the season's snowfall on Wednesday, bringing an end to the dry spell.
Snowfall welcome relief for tourism?
The forecast for heavy snowfall is a welcome relief to the state's tourism sector.
As news of the snowfall spread, tourists started arriving in Shimla and its nearby places like Kufri, Mashobra and Narkanda too wrapped in a thick blanket of snow.
"The heavy snowfall has brought cheers to the tourism and allied industry and we are pinning hope for a good season in February. The footfall is likely to increase due to snowfall during the weekends in Shimla," said M K Seth, president of the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association.
The unusually cold, yet dry winter this season across the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Himachal and Uttarakhand had raised concerns among environmental experts and locals alike.
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