Hill towns of Shimla, Kullu, receive fresh snowfall; temperatures dip across Kashmir Valley

Tourists made a beeline to resorts in Shimla, Manali and Kufri after a fresh snowfall, increasing the occupancy in hotels to almost 70 per cent.

As many as 7,164 vehicles had entered Shimla through Shoghi border in 12 hours till 8 pm on Friday.

The occupancy in hotels is expected to further rise by 10 per cent by the evening, vice president of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja said.

Manali received 23 cm of snow followed by 16 cm in Khadrala, 16 cm in Shillaro, 12 cm in Kufri, 10 cm in Bharmour, 6 cm each in Shimla and Gonda, 4 cm each in Dalhousie and Kalpa and 3 cm each in Hansa and Keylong.

The meteorological station in Shimla has predicted dry weather in the region for the next four days and cautioned of dense fog and cold waves in low hills from January 14 to 17.

In Uttarakhand, the pilgrimage sites of Badrinath and Gangotri were covered in a blanket of white on Saturday after fresh snowfall.

Meanwhile the Kashmir Valley's connectivity with the rest of the country was restored on Saturday with the Srinagar-Jammu national highway reopening for traffic and flight operations also resuming here a day after a snowfall, officials said.

Air traffic to and from the Kashmir Valley was restored after the airport was cleared of snow and visibility improved. However, several morning flights were delayed and some were cancelled.

"The snow from the runway, taxiway and apron has been cleared and the visibility has improved up to 3,000 metres. Flight operations have resumed," an official said.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway -- the only all-weather road connecting the Valley with the rest of the country -- has been reopened for traffic after the snow was shovelled off, officials said.

While the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir experienced moderate to heavy snowfall on Friday, many other areas, including Srinagar, received light snow.

Meanwhile, night temperatures settled below the freezing point across the Valley. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.1 degrees Celsius on Friday night, down from 1 degree Celsius the night before.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai Kalan', the 40-day harshest weather period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent. Chillai Kalan begins on December 21 and ends on January 30. The cold wave continues even after that with a 20-day-long 'Chillai Khurd' and a 10-day-long 'Chillai Bachha' following it.

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