A fresh spell of snow in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh intensified the cold on Thursday bringing down temperatures to sub-zero in the Lahaul-Spiti region. Temperature in many places remained near the freezing point, a Meteorological Department official here told IANS.

There were scattered drizzles in the state capital which saw a low of 11.3 degrees Celsius, while Kalpa, some 250 km from here, experienced a low of four degrees and Manali 6.6 degrees Celsius. Keylong, headquarters of the Lahaul-Spiti district, witnessed snow and recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.1 degree Celsius.

The high hills in Kinnaur, Kullu and Chamba districts have been experiencing light snowfall as well, said a Met official. Traffic bound for the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul from picturesque tourist Manali, has been restricted beyond the Gulaba barrier owing to snowfall, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Lower areas, including Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received moderate rains, bringing down the temperature considerably.

* Dharamsala received the highest rainfall at 21.6 mm.