Shimla: A persisting western disturbance as a trough in mid-level westerlies over Jammu & Kashmir and neighbouring areas is likely to intensify and move eastwards, alarming the weather office here to send out warnings about heavy to very heavy snowfall over mid and high hills of Jammu & Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Weatherman Manmohan Singh said that over the last 24 hours precipitation did occur at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh though there was no appreciable change in minimum and maximum temperatures.
The city experienced and overcast sky for most of the day and with the building western disturbance intensifying by the evening, the met office has forecast heavy to very heavy snowfall over the next 48 hours in the mid and high hills and widespread rains in plains and lower hills.
Many tourists who have flocked to hill resorts were seen huddled around bonfires. Those looking forward to seeing the first snowfall of their lives, were a excited lot as the sky darkened towards day end raising hopes of a overnight snowfall.
As the day also marked the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, many Sikhs had set up stall serving tea and hot snacks.
The intensity of the westerly disturbances is likely wane after two days though the forecast holds that it could rain or snow at isolated places after that.
It is only on 12 January that the skies are likely to give some respite from the reeling cold wave conditions prevailing in much of the hilly regions.
The lowest temperature recorded in Himachal was minus 11.3 degree Celsius at Keylong in Lahaul valley and highest was at Una at 20.2 degree Celsius.
In Shimla the low touched 0.7 degree Celsius and a high of 11.5 degree where as at Manali it was minus 5 and a high of 6.2 degree Celsius. In Kalpa in Kinnaur the low was minus 7 and a high of 3.4 degree Celsius.
At Srinagar the lowest temperature recorded was minus 3.3 degree Celsius and the popular tourist city recorded a maximum temperature of 4.5 degree Celsius in the last 24 hours.
At Dehradun the high was 20.7 degree Celsius and a low of 4.6 degree Celsius.