Cold wave sweeps through tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh, as Rohtang Pass near Manali in Kullu district and other higher areas received snow on Monday.
The Manali-Leh road has been officially closed for vehicular traffic beyond Darcha due to bad conditions, officials said. The road that connects the state and Ladakh is shut every winter.
Earlier, the Lahaul-Spiti District Disaster Management Authority closed the Gramphoo-Losar road to traffic.
The Manali-Leh road will now be officially reopened in May-June next year, Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Kiran Bhadana said.
Shallow fog was observed in Mandi while gusty winds with a speed of 43-44 km per hour lashed Tabo, Kufri, and Reckongpeo.
Meanwhile, fresh snow at Rohtang Pass near Manali brought smiles to the faces of the locals, even though it led to slippery roads and restricted vehicular traffic to Marhi.
Hemraj Thakur, a resident of Manali, hoped for snow in Manali as well. “I hope to see a ‘white’ Christmas and New Year,” he said.
Kanav, another local, said snow had brought cheer to the Manali natives.
Dola Thakur and Gautam Nath Thakur witnessed the snowfall in the morning and said there was a mix of sunshine and clouds throughout the day.
Kukumseri in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest at night at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, while Berthin was the hottest at a high of 25.4 degrees Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}Kukumseri in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest at night at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, while Berthin was the hottest at a high of 25.4 degrees Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}The local met office has issued a yellow warning of dense fog in some parts of the reservoir area of the Bhakra dam in Bilaspur district and some parts of the Balh valley in Mandi district on Tuesday.
Himachal Pradesh received 45 per cent excess post-monsoon rains since October 1.
The state recorded 69.5 mm of rainfall against a normal of 47.8 mm during the period, the Shimla Met office said.