Fresh snowfall accompanied by rain swept parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Sunday and early Monday, leaving mountain landscapes blanketed in white as a yellow weather warning remained in place, officials said.
Shillaroo in Shimla district and Kothi in Kullu recorded around 5 cm of snowfall, while Kufri received about 4 cm. Gondhla village in Lahaul and Spiti saw nearly 3 cm of snow, followed by Khadrala in Shimla with 2.5 cm. Sangla in Kinnaur logged 2.1 cm and Kalpa received 0.8 cm, the weather office said.
Rainfall was also reported from several parts of the state. Manali recorded the highest rainfall at 10 mm, followed by Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur district with 7.8 mm. Shimla received 4.2 mm of rain, Solan 3.4 mm, Nadaun 2.6 mm and Nahan 2.4 mm.
The cold wave intensified in higher reaches, with Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti emerging as the coldest place in the state at minus 3.6 degrees Celsius.
Officials said the state was under a yellow warning, cautioning residents against possible thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
According to the meteorological department, snowfall and rainfall are very likely to continue in the middle and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh on February 2 and 3.
However, weather conditions are expected to remain dry in the plains and lower hill areas of the state over the next couple of days, officials added.