Temperature rises above normal in Himachal, absence of snowfall disappoints tourists

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 17 (ANI): The temperature in Himachal Pradesh has risen above normal by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. The tourists and locals who were expecting snowfall and cold conditions are disappointed. Tourists from different parts of the country come to the state capital Shimla to experience fresh snowfall. However, only sunny days are being experienced in the 'Queen of Hills'.
Nevertheless, tourists coming from other parts of the country are still enjoying the pleasant weather conditions.
"We were expecting it to be cold. We thought that we'll get to see snowfall. We have come from Delhi. I was expecting snow here but the weather conditions are clear. It is a very sunny day out here. The temperature is higher than what we have in Delhi. I thought it would be very cold but it is warm. I am just wearing a sweater and no jacket. It feels good to be here but disappointed by the fact that we could not see snowfall. It could be because of the changing weather conditions, the climate change, and the increase in the number of vehicles," said a tourist from Delhi.
"We expect that there will be snowfall during Christmas. This year, the temperature in Shimla and Patiala is exactly the same. I have taken off my jacket. We have been observing that the weather is changing here," said Ravinder Rishi, a tourist from Punjab.
"It is a very beautiful and clean atmosphere, here in Shimla. You cannot predict the weather here, it's very unpredictable. We are going to stay here till Christmas. We will definitely get to see snow here," said another tourist.
The Indian meteorological department has forecasted clear weather during the next few days. As per the forecast from the local weather department, the weather will be clear till December 22.
However, a warning has been issued regarding a cold wave in the Una region. Fog conditions have also been forecasted in Bilaspur Mandi Hamirpur and Una districts of the state.
In the days to come, the temperatures are expected to remain the same.
"The weather was dry in the entire state during the past 24 hours. The temperature has increased by 3 degrees in the state. During the past 24 hours, Una recorded a maximum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and Keylong has recorded the lowest at -5 to 6 degrees Celsius. In Shimla, the temperature is 4 degrees higher than normal. The weather will remain dry for the next 5 to 6 days," said Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at IMD Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)