Himachal reels under severe cold wave

Shimla, Jan 23 (IANS) Large parts of Himachal Pradesh reeled under severe cold wave on Thursday, with the minimum temperature staying below freezing point, the weather bureau said. However, the weather will largely remain dry till Sunday.

The state capital Shimla saw the night temperature at 0.7 degree Celsius.

Popular destination Manali, which is marooned in snow cover, recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.

According to a Met department official here, Shimla's nearby tourist spots like Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda and Dalhousie in Chamba district are also covered with snow.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state with a low of minus 14.7 degrees.

Kalpa, some 250 km from here in Kinnaur district, saw the minimum temperature at minus 8.2 degrees Celsius, while it was 2.4 degrees in Dharamsala, 0.4 degree in Dalhousie and minus 3.8 degrees in Kufri.