Shimla: Most parts of Himachal Pradesh, including the valleys and foothills, reeled under biting cold wave conditions as mercury hovered around freezing point at several places.
Keylong and Kalpa in Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur recorded minimum temperatures at minus 7.6 degree Celsius and minus 4.0 deg C while the mercury stayed between?minus 10 and minus 18 deg in high altitude tribal areas.
Manali recorded a low?of minus 2.4 deg while Sundernagar and Bhuntar shivered at minus 0.3 deg?and 0.2 deg, followed by Solan 1.0 deg, Chamba 1.4 deg and Hamirpur 1.7 deg C, four deg below normal.
The mercury dipped to 2.3 deg at Shimla and Una while Palampur recorded minimum temperature at 3.0 deg, followed by Nahan 4.1 deg and Dharamsala 6.4 deg C.
The pale sun failed to warm up the region as strong winds with partially overcast sky lashed the region, causing marginal fall in maximum day temperatures.
Una was hottest in the region with maximum temperature at 19.4 deg while Sundernagar and Bhunter recorded a high of 18.0 deg, followed by Nahan 17.5 deg, Solan17.5 deg, Dharamshala 15.4 deg, Shimla 11.9 deg and Kalpa 08.6 deg, two to four deg below normal.
All natural sources of water in high altitude tribal areas were frozen for past one?month, drastically reducing the discharge of water in snowfed Sutlej, Beas and?Ravi Rivers, reducing the Hydropower generation to 25 per cent.
The local MeT office has predicted rains or snow in mid and higher hills over next three days.
