Shimla, Jan 13 (Inditop.com) This Himachal Pradesh capital and its nearby hills Wednesday experienced the first snowfall of the season, bringing smiles to on the faces of the hotel owners who now hope tourists will visit in large numbers.
The farmers were also happy as snow would be beneficial for their apple crop this season.
The temperature plummeted in the state with Shimla recording a minimum of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius, down from Tuesday’s 6.3 degrees Celsius.
Popular tourist spots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Fagu, Kasauli, Dalhousie and Manali saw mild snowfall early morning, giving these resort towns a picturesque look.
There were reports of moderate to heavy snowfall higher up the Himalayan slopes, the meteorological office said here.
“Shimla and Kasauli (in Solan district) saw season’s first snowfall, whereas Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda in Shimla district and Manali in Kullu district again experienced snow,” Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office here, told IANS.
According to meteorological office, Mount Jakhu, the highest peak in Shimla, received more than 10 cm of snowfall.
The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) and the Baralacha Pass (16,020 ft) – located on the Manali-Leh highway – also experienced heavy snow.
He said the temperature across the region plummeted after fresh rain in lower hills and snow in mid and high hills.
“Shimla recorded the minimum temperature of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius, down from Tuesday’s 6.3 degrees Celsius,” he said.
He said Shimla’s minimum temperature was three degrees below average for this time of the year.
Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district and Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded minimum temperatures of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius and minus 3 degrees Celsius respectively.
The snow has brought a ray of hope to the fruit growers in the state.
“This snowfall will increase the moisture content in the soil which will be beneficial for a good yield of apple in the coming season,” said S.P. Bhardwaj, joint director at the Solan-based Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.
“The prolonged dry spell in the mid-hills is somehow over. The apple, peach, plum, apricot and almond crops still need more continuous spells of rain and snow,” he added.
Tourism industry representatives are also happy after the season’s first snow in Shimla.
“Now (after the snowfall) we are hopeful that the tourists will return to the erstwhile summer capital of British India,” said D.P. Bhatia, general manager of Clarke’s Hotel.
