Mercury Dips, Himachal Lakes Begin To Freeze

SHIMLA: Most of the natural lakes in Himachal Pradesh's higher reaches have started freezing as snowfall in the past few days has brought down the temperatures, the weather department said here Saturday.

In the interiors of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Kullu districts, the night temperatures have been below the freezing point, a met official said.

The Chandertal, Surajtal, Prashar and Manimahesh lakes have started freezing.

While the oval-shaped Manimahesh lake is located in Chamba district, Chandertal or moon lake and Surajtal or sun lake are in Lahaul and Spiti district. The Prashar lake is situated at a height of 9,000 ft in Mandi district.

Reports said the 475-km-long Manali-Leh highway remained blocked for several hours in Lahaul and Spiti district Friday after heavy spells of snow.

The Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft) and the Baralacha Pass (16,020 ft) located on the highway experienced fresh spells of snowfall.

Traffic on the Saach Pass, located at an altitude of 14,500 ft in Chamba district, was restored Saturday after a day's closure due to snowfall.

Kalpa, the picturesque town some 250 km from Shimla, Saturday recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, while it was 3.8 degrees in Manali and 13.3 degrees in Dharamsala.

However, Shimla and its surrounding areas have been experiencing sunny days even as the nights are cool. The town recorded a low of 10.3 degrees.

The Met office predicts mainly clear weather across the state till Monday.