It's April and snowing in Himachal hills

Shimla: It`s April and large parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday saw cold conditions with the minimum temperature staying close to freezing point owing to widespread snowfall in higher reaches, weather officials said.

A government spokesperson said traffic on the national highway (NH-5) has been disrupted at several points in Kinnaur district owing to landslides triggered by the rain and snow. 

According to a Met department official here, hills overlooking Manali and Shimla experienced moderate spells of snowfall -- significant for the season. The condition will continue till Friday.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have experienced moderate to heavy snow," the official said.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state with a low of 1.6 degree centigrade. It saw eight centimetres of snow.

The state capital Shimla, with the night temperature at 6.3 degrees Celsius, saw 52.7 mm rain.

Popular destination Manali, which saw 50.4 mm rain, recorded a low of 3.6 degrees Celsius.

Other picturesque tourist centre Kalpa in Kinnaur district, some 250 km from here, experienced 16 cm snow and 47.4 mm rainfall. It recorded minimum temperature at zero degree Celsius.

The Met Office has forecast more snow and rain across the state due to active western disturbance till Friday.

Western disturbance is a term used for a storm system that generates in the Mediterranean and brings rain or snow in the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.