After a long break, popular tourist destinations Shimla and Manali received fresh snowfall on Thursday, triggering cold in Himachal Pradesh.
A man makes his way on a snow covered road during fresh snowfall in Shimla. Santosh Rawat/HT
Other tourist spots near Shimla, like honeymooners' paradise Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda experienced moderate snowfall, turning the hill stations more picturesque.
Likewise, the Solang ski slopes, 13 km uphill from Manali, and Kalpa, 250 km from the state capital, also saw snow, the weather office here said.
The minimum temperature in Manali was 0.6 degrees Celsius below freezing point.
Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with -3 degrees Celsius. It was 9.4 degrees above freezing point in Dharamsala, -3.2 degrees in Kalpa and 3 degrees in Shimla.
Shimla last got snow on December 14. Shimla's commercial centre Mall Road, the historic Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills received a relatively thick layer of snow while snowflakes covered the lower parts of the town.
"High altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Mandi, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snow since early Thursday," a Met official said.