Mercury below freezing point in Himachal after snowfall

Widespread rain and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh brought down the mercury Saturday with Kalpa village in Kinnaur district recording a minimum temperature below freezing point, a weather department official said.

Shimla, Oct 23 (IANS) Widespread rain and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh brought down the mercury Saturday with Kalpa village in Kinnaur district recording a minimum temperature below freezing point, a weather department official said.

'Kalpa recorded a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius. It was the coldest place in the state,' meteorological office Director Manmohan Singh told IANS.

Kalpa and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district saw 12.7 cm and 18 cm of snowfall, respectively, by Saturday morning. These towns Friday recorded a night temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and 5.3 degrees, respectively.

The minimum temperature in Shimla also plummeted after rain Saturday. It recorded a low temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius against Friday's 11.3 degrees Celsius.

Shimla recorded 19.1 mm rainfall since Friday.

Sundernagar in Mandi district recorded a low of 10.5 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature in Bhuntar in Kullu district and Dharamsala in Kangra district was 7.2 degrees Celsius and 10.5 degrees, respectively.

The picturesque town of Manali experienced the season's first snowfall Friday evening.

The meteorological office said Manali recorded five centimetres of snow, while the Rohtang Pass, 52 km from Manali, experienced more than two feet of snowfall.

The weatherman predicted mainly clear sky across the state Sunday.